


My Brave Princess

by musicnutftw (rainestrife)



Category: Seduce Me (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Sexual Abuse, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2018-10-04 21:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 65,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10290911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainestrife/pseuds/musicnutftw
Summary: Raina Steiner is an average high school senior just looking to make it through her life one day at a time. One fateful encounter with a strange man changes everything. Suddenly, she can see demons all around her, but with the help of five incubi brothers, she'll stay safe until they can return her to normal. However, things rarely ever go as planned.





	1. Fateful Encounters?

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a slightly Alternate Universe with a few of my own twists. I'll use some direct quotes and some scenes from Michaela Laws' game(s), but not much. Also, I plan to write for all of the boys, and they will all share this same first chapter.

It’s hot for a spring day; that’s my only excuse for wearing a tank top outside. Any number of things could have been different. It could have been cold enough for a jacket. I could have been walking down a different street. Even the timing could have been off by a few seconds. But for some odd reason, everything was perfect. The universe was all in line for what happened.

I’m walking downtown, just waiting for my little brother, Ben, to get out of soccer practice. With mom at work, it was my job to look after him. I’d been out of school for about an hour now, taking my usual path through the main drag of town.

I stop in front of T’s café, the place where I usually get a smoothie around this time, debating if I want to go in or not. Even if I don’t get something to drink, it would be a break from this heat. I shake my head. Nah. Maybe Ben and I can stop by on the way back if he wants.

I start walking again, humming to myself. Today had been a decent day at school, and I’m in a good mood. Just then, somebody runs past me, bumping my shoulder with his.

“Oops, sorry!” the guy says, looking kind of panicked.

“It’s fine….” I trail off as he just keeps running. “I hope he’s okay,” I mutter to myself. He’s certainly in a hurry if nothing else. I rub my shoulder, turning back to look in front of me.

I take one step before blinking and rubbing my eyes. “What…?” Suddenly, the air is filled with colors. Every few feet, there’s a different one. Most of the colors are green or black, though there’s some orange mixed in. After a moment, one of the green colors takes the shape of…a monster.

It’s small, mostly resembling a dog. Mostly. It has two heads, three tails, and six legs. I take a couple steps back as a few more of the colors become monsters. There’s a strange-looking bird, a few rodents, and something that genuinely looks like an imp, horns, wings and everything.

I look around quickly, but no one else seems to notice what’s going on. As a matter of fact, most people are just walking around the creatures. Somehow, not a single person bumped into any of them. Does that mean they can see them? Or maybe they just can’t feel the monsters. Or…I don’t even know.

My legs start to feel weak, but before I can fall, someone catches me.

“Easy there,” a voice says in my ear. “Are you all right?”

I look up to see a guy who looks about my age with red hair and…purple eyes. Contacts? Whatever they were, he was really handsome.

“Miss?” he asks.

“Ah, yeah,” I say, stepping out of his arms. “I’m…okay.” I look around…the monsters are gone. “What…?”

“Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you.” I spin to look at the guy again. “The lesser ones flee when stronger ones come around.”

“The lesser ones of what?”

“Come with me, and I’ll explain, all right?” He holds out his hand to me, but I hesitate. “I promise, it’ll be okay. You can trust me.”

I nod, mostly to myself, before taking his hand. “You saw them too?”

“Yes,” he says before leading me in the opposite direction I came from. I follow him, questioning my sanity. At the same time, if following this man leads me to the answers I’m looking for, what else can I do?

Run the other way. Right. I want to say that’s the safe option, but if the only reason those monster aren’t around is because of this guy, then it would logically follow that I’d be in more danger without him. Right?

I’m so confused. And tired. It’s too hot to be going this fast on a day like this. I open my mouth to say something when I realize we’re heading to the park. My little brother is around here somewhere, practicing with his team. There’s still another hour before he gets out. Maybe I can hang around here until….

Whaaaat am I even thinking? I’m not exactly in charge of what I’m doing right now. This man is. I stumble over some grass, losing my grip on his hand. “Ack.” I fall on my hands and knees, panting slightly. Out of shape and out of my mind. Woo.

“Sorry, miss.” The man offers me a hand up, and I brush myself off as I get to my feet.

“It’s fine. Terminal klutz,” I reply, pointing to myself.

He laughs. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Trust me,” I say, smiling. For a stranger, he’s pretty easy to joke with. I’m much less frightened now.

“That’s good.”

“Hm?” I frown at him.

“Ah, nothing,” he says, smiling and scratching the back of his head. “Come on. We’re almost there.” He extends his hand to me, and I take it once more, noticing that our pace is much slower now. I kind of want to thank him, but before I can, we walk past a little stand of trees to find the playground before us. Four men are there, each doing something different. One is just sitting on a bench, watching the others. Two of them are climbing on the jungle gym, while one stands at the bottom, laughing at them. As we get closer, I recognize one of the guys on top of the jungle gym.

“Oh,” I say, stopping. Is this what he’d been in such a hurry to get to?

At my word, the man on the bench turns his head. I think my heart might stop. He’s incredibly handsome with messy black hair, piercing golden eyes, and black glasses. He smiles, getting to his feet.

“Welcome back, Damien. I see you’ve brought our guest.” And his voice is nice too. Smooth and sexy.

Just then, one of the guys falls off the top of the jungle gym. “Geez, Sam,” he says, rubbing the back of his head. He’s the one who bumped into me earlier.

“Suck it up, Matthew.” The guy, presumably Sam, slides down to the ground, yanking Matthew to his feet.

“Come now,” the last young man says. “No fighting.” This man turns and walks toward me, his eyes burning into me. His hair is…copper-pink? It looks good. He looks good. “Matthew,” he says as he comes to stand in front of me and takes my hand. “You didn’t tell us you’d bumped into such a beautiful young woman.” He kisses my hand, and I feel my whole body burn as my face turns bright red.

“Erik.” The man with the golden eyes frowns at the one before me. “Don’t be an obnoxious flirt.”

Erik laughs. “I’m only being polite. I’m sure she’s rather confused and a bit frightened. A little kindness isn’t out of place.” He winks at me, and I find myself taking a step back, bumping into the one who brought me here.

“S-sorry,” I mumble, looking down at my feet. Where the hell am I?

“It’s all right,” he replies. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of. My brothers and I won’t hurt you.”

Brothers? These men look nothing like each other. I think of my little brother, shaking my head. I guess you don’t really have to look like somebody to be related.

“Pardon our rudeness,” the man who’d scolded Erik says. “Allow me to introduce us. My name is James. The one who brought you here is Damien.” Damien smiles at me, and once again I feel a little more relaxed. “Erik, you’ve met.”

Erik smiles at me. “A pleasure, princess.” My heart hasn’t recovered from my first brush with him, and now it’s even worse. Princess? No one has ever called me that.

“This is Sam and that’s Matthew.” The one who’d pushed his brother off the jungle gym grunts in response, his green eyes glinting in the sunlight. He looks kind of mean to me. The other one is the man I’d met before. He grins at me, reminding me of a little kid. His bright blue eyes sparkle cheerily.

“Hiya! Sorry about earlier,” Matthew says.

“It’s fine,” I reply.

“Well, actually, it isn’t,” James states. I turn to look at him. “You’ve been seeing things ever since he bumped into you, am I correct?” How does he know that?

“Yeah,” I say, frowning.

“How do I put this? Hm.”

“You’re seeing demons, chick.” I look up at Sam, startled. Demons?

“Sam,” James snaps.

“What?” Sam growls. “You don’t need to sugar-coat things. I think the human can handle it.”

So, I’m “the human” now?

“That doesn’t mean you can just drop something like that on her,” Erik says, shaking his head.

“Yeah!” Matthew chimes in.

“Hold on,” I mumble. No one hears me.

“Shut up, kid,” Sam spits.

“I’m not a kid!” Matthew takes a step toward Sam who doesn’t back down.

“HEY!” I shout. Everyone looks my way, and I cross my arms. “If you’re trying to explain anything to me, you’re doing a horrible job.” My stomach is trying to escape through my throat, I’m so freaked out. I’ve never been good at lecturing strangers, but seriously. How childish can you get? I take a breath to calm my nerves, feeling my hands begin to shake. “What do you mean by demons?”

James steps forward. “Exactly that. You’ve been seeing demons, miss. When a powerful demon touches a human, skin to skin, they gain the ability to see all demons.”

“Um.” I frown. “So, that means you guys are demons?” That fit with what Damien had told me earlier about lesser demons fleeing when stronger ones are around. But really? Demons?

“It’s true, miss.” Damien looks down at me, a concerned look on his face. “We are demons.”

“Well, geez,” I say, sitting down on the ground. At least this way, my legs won’t give out on me. “I want to say that I don’t believe you, but I don’t think I’m tripping out. I definitely saw those things earlier.”

“Tripping out?” Matthew asks.

I blush again. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s an expression. Um…okay, so let’s say I buy this. Why even tell me? Why not just let me deal with it and think I’m crazy or something?”

“Well, princess, we may be demons, but we aren’t monsters.” Erik smiles, and my stomach flops in an entirely different way. “For the most part, we’re very careful around humans. Matthew just happened to be in a hurry.”

“And I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I smack myself with the heel of my palm on the side of my head.

“Now that you can see lesser demons, they might come after you,” James says, making me look up. “And not just lesser demons.”

“So, what does that mean for me? I’m going to get attacked by demons from now on?” I manage to calm my stomach after taking a few deep breaths.

“That’s about it,” Sam says.

“Sam.” Erik shakes his head. “Don’t worry, princess. We would never let such an adorable woman as yourself be hurt, especially not because one of us was careless.” He offers me his hand, and I hesitate before taking it and getting back to my feet. I don’t know why I thought I’d be able to stand so easily after such a shock. My legs give out, but Erik catches me. “Whoa, there, princess. I’ve got you.”

“Thanks,” I mutter, resting against him for a moment before managing to stand on my own two feet. “Sorry. I’m okay now.” I look to James again. “What is going to happen, then?”

“Well, for starters, we’re going to be around for a while, keeping the lesser demons from attacking you until Matthew can make a memory-altering potion.”

“A what now?” Memory-altering? As in, I would forget?

“Essentially,” Damien says, making me jump. He has such a quiet presence that I’d almost forgotten he was there. “The potion will cause you to forget everything demon-related from the moment Matthew touched you until you drink the potion. Once you’ve drank it and forgotten, you will lose the ability to see demons.”

“Most importantly, any powerful demons that might be alerted to your presence during this time won’t be able to track you after that,” James says.

“What do you mean?”

“Powerful demons, such as us, can sense humans that can see weak demons. Certain demons would pay a fortune to get their hands on such a human.”

“Why?”

“Well, to feed off of you.”

“Feed?” Hundreds of horrible images zip through my mind in that moment, and I feel my knees threaten to give out again.

“Erik!” Damien says, and before I even have time to fall, Erik’s hands are on my elbows, supporting me.

“You’re all right, princess. Deep breaths.” Erik’s voice in my ear is not really something I can handle just now either. I step away from him, taking a deep breath.

“Feed?” I repeat, looking at James again.

“Most of the powerful demons are incubi or succubi,” Matthew says, and I turn to look at him. “So, you’d…uh….”

“Be used for your sexual energy,” Sam finishes for him. “Humans that have been touched by demons smell different and the limits on their energy get altered too. It’s pretty damn tempting for demons.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that because Matthew bumped into me, I basically have a giant target on my forehead?”

“In a sense. That’s why we’ll be looking out for you until a potion can be made.” James sighs, shaking his head. “It’s not ideal, but we’ll keep you safe.” He frowns. “Speaking of safety, we need to leave. Now.”

“What is it, James?” Erik asks.

“There’s a mob of lesser demons heading our way.” He adjusts his glasses. “We’ll want to run.”

“Wait, I thought lesser demons stayed away from powerful ones,” I say, looking to Damien.

“Sometimes, the smaller ones get incensed for one reason or another. That causes them to form mindless mobs that travel with no mind to their safety or anyone else’s. They will even attack powerful demons if they get the chance.” Damien sighs. “We’ll need to move quickly. It’s a big mob.”

“Sam, if you’ll carry our guest.”

“You…wait, what?”

Sam growls. “She can walk on her own.”

“Seriously.”

“We’re going to have to run, and she’s tired enough already,” James replies.

“Let me do it,” Matthew says. “This is all my fault anyway.”

“Pass,” I say, shaking my head. “I can run.”

Sam shook his head. “Whatever. Just shut up and get on my back.”

“No,” I say, taking a step away from him.

“Miss.” James came up beside me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “We don’t have time to discuss this. Trust us.”

Trust complete strangers? Did I have much choice? I sigh. “Fine.” Sam crouches down so I can hop onto his back. I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, piggy-back style.  
“Don’t let go,” he says, his voice low. Suddenly, we’re running, all five brothers, back toward town.

“Sam,” I say, leaning my head toward his ear.

“What?”

“What about all the people in the park? Will they be okay?” All I could think of was my little brother getting crushed by a stampede of monsters.

“If you can’t see the demons, they can’t hurt you,” Sam replies.

“How does that work?” I say, frowning.

“Look, there have always been a small number of demons living in the human world. You’ve never seen them before, have you?”

“No.”

“There. That’s all there is to it.”

I have a feeling that’s a lie, but Sam doesn’t seem to want to go into it. Maybe one of the other brothers would tell me more.

I ride piggy-back for a while until we’re back in town. Sam sets me down, and the guys all turn, looking around.

“Anyone else hungry?” Matthew asks.

 

“I could eat,” Erik says, stretching his arms above his head. He hadn’t even broken a sweat from that running, and he was dressed in black pants, a long sleeved reddish purple shirt, and a pinkish red vest.

Come to think of it, none of the boys even seem tired. Sue me for being human.

“Well, miss, do you have a preferred place to eat?” I jump at the sound of James’ voice. I’d totally spaced out there.

“Um, I usually just go to T’s,” I say, shrugging. “It’s just up the street there.” I point, and James smiles.

“All right. Lead the way, miss.” With a sigh, I walk up the street, with the boys behind me. Mostly. James keeps pace with me at the front. “I apologize,” he says to me.

“It’s fine,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s not like I’ll remember any of this anyway, right?”

James doesn’t say anything, and I look over to see his face full of concern and his eyes full of regret. “I am sorry. I wish there were another way to do this that didn’t involve you going through something like that. However, my brothers and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I promise.”

I believe him. I don’t really know why, but I do. Maybe it’s because I really want to. This whole scenario is awful in so many ways, but knowing that James and his brothers will be at my side, looking out for me, keeps me from completely losing my head.

We step inside T’s to find the place mostly empty. That’s fine. This way we can easily find a place to sit. T’s is a cute café. It has tile floors and light blue walls. One of the walls, the one facing the street, is made entirely of windows, from floor to ceiling. It’s the kind of place where you order your food at the kitchen counter, took your seat, and then waited for the food to come to you. With that in mind, I lead everyone to the counter, tapping the tiny bell they had for service.

A head pops up from behind the counter, making me jump. “Eyy!” T shouts, smiling at me.

“Hi, T,” I reply. T is a 40-something year old man with a warm smile and a great sense of humor. He always found time to talk to me when I came in, no matter how busy it was.

“What can I get for you today?”

I frown. “Just my usual.” My “usual” is a strawberry peach smoothie. I really did come in here that often to have a “usual”.

“Coming right up.” T yells over his shoulder, “Hey, V!”

T’s wife Violet looks up from where she’s working back at the kitchen sink. “Theodore, I told you not to call me that.” She puts her hands on her hips, making the kind of disapproving face only a wife can make for her husband of 15 years. She notices me and smiles. “Hey, girl. The usual?”

“Yes, please.” I take a step back and then remember the boys. “Oh, um, guys.” I look up at them. “What do…you want to eat?” I’d almost asked what demons ate. Oops.

“Perhaps you can order for us, miss,” James says. “We haven’t…been in town for very long. I’m sure you know what tastes best.”

I shrug. “If you insist.” I turn back to T who raises an eyebrow at me. “Five club sandwiches, I guess.” T looks back at Violet who gives me a meaningful look. “Please, don’t,” I say, shaking my head.

“Whatever you say, kiddo,” T replies. He adds up some numbers at the register and says, “That’ll be $18.53.” And that’s when I remember that I have to pay.

“Right, right,” I say, reaching for my purse.

“Don’t worry about it, miss,” James says. He reaches in the pocket of his black slacks and pulls out a wallet. I watch, shocked, as he pulls out a $20 and hands it to T.

T makes change and then says, “I’ll bring it out to you guys when it’s done.”

“Thanks, T,” I say, turning to find James leading the way to a table in the back corner of the café. I follow him and the rest of the guys, shaking my head. “How long have you guys been here?”

“A few weeks!” Matthew says, grinning.

“And you know how human money works?”

“Well, mostly Erik handles the money. He figured out the difference between human and demon currency and he can change our money between the two.” Matthew smiles at Erik who is talking to Damien. When he notices the look he’s being given, he looks up and promptly winks at me.

“My heart,” I mutter under my breath.

“What was that?” Matthew asks.

All the demons sit and I take the open spot next to Damien and across from James. Once we’re all sitting, James says to me, “You know, miss, you’re taking this rather well.”

That’s debatable. I think about my words before I reply. “It’s probably because you guys look human. I’m sure if you had horns or wings or tails, I’d still be freaking out.”

“Well, naturally, we took on human forms when we came here,” James states as if I should have known that from the start.

“Right. Why are you guys here, anyway?” I couldn’t have known that question was such a big deal. My words are met with silence as the brothers exchange looks. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I’ll understand.”

Erik speaks up this time. “It’s a rather long and boring story, princess. You needn’t worry your beautiful head about it.”

James clears his throat. “In any case, I’m sure you have other questions you’d like to ask. We will do our best to answer any questions you might wish to pose.”

Anything other than why they were here. Okay. “How did you know there was a mob of demons coming our way?”

James takes off his glasses, cleaning a corner of them with a handkerchief he pulls from my pocket. “I can see far distances if I wish to,” is his reply.

“Right,” I say, frowning. “Can any of the rest of you do something like that?” I want any surprises out of the way. Who knows what these demons are capable of.

“I can…read minds,” Damien says. He doesn’t make eye contact, and I wonder if it really pains him to be able to do that.

“Explains a few things,” I reply, hoping my tone will convey that I’m not upset with him for knowing what I’m thinking. After a long moment, he smiles a small smile at me.

“I can make toys!” Matthew says, grinning. “Check it out!” He pulls a stuffed squirrel out of his pocket, and I smile at it.

“Cute.” It had white fur, and a really bushy tail.

“I’d show you how it works, but someone might see,” Matthew says, looking around at the empty café.

“Erik has a way with flowers,” James says, nodding to his brother.

“I’ll show you sometime, princess,” Erik replies, smiling in a rather sultry way at me. I find myself wishing he would stop. I don’t know what to do with the kind of attention he keeps throwing my way. 

“And Sam’s really strong!” Matthew chimes, making me look away from Erik.

I look over at Sam, who shrugs. “It’s whatever.” He won’t meet my eye either.

Before I can ask anything else, T comes over with our food and my drink. He also passes a free water to everyone before heading back to the counter where Violet is pretending not to watch us. I shake my head, looking back at the boys who’ve begun eating.

“This is great!” Matthew says to me, smiling.

“An excellent choice, princess.” Erik adds.

“Yes, thank you for ordering for us,” James says.

“Thanks for paying.”

“But of course. We are the reason you’re here after all.”


	2. It's a Bad Dream

That’s when I remember. “Crap!” I look down at my watch. Ben gets out of soccer practice in five minutes. “I have to go! I need to pick up my little brother.” I grab my smoothie, getting out of my seat.

“Miss, you should have one of us accompany you,” James says, also getting to his feet.

Erik follows suit, saying, “I would be happy to come with you, princess.”  
I look at him for a long moment, uncertain. Despite his flirtatious behavior, he seems harmless enough. “All right,” I say, pushing in my chair. Erik grabs his partially eaten sandwich, finishing it in two swift bites before coming to stand by me.

“By the way, miss,” James says, still standing, “I don’t believe you’ve told us your name.”

I smile at him and say, “Raina.”

 

I run. Erik offers to carry me, but I refuse him. Piggy backing with Sam was weird enough for me. By the time we get there, practice is just letting out. Good. Ben won’t be able to give me a hard time about being late. Hopefully.

I’m panting a bit from the run, but Erik is perfectly fine. At least now there’s a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. Proof that he’s…well, not human. I sigh. Things are going to get so complicated from now on.

“Are you all right, princess?” Erik asks.

“Mmhmm,” I say. “No sweat.” I smile up at him, and he laughs.

“That’s good. You know, exercise is said to give one’s skin a delightful glow to it, and might I say, you look lovely.”

I blush as red as a cherry. “Um…thanks?”

“Ahem.” I turn at the sound to find my little brother, arms crossed, standing behind me, his foot on a soccer ball. “Where have you been?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You were supposed to come and watch my scrimmage.” My 13-year-old brother is glaring at me. It’s not really intimidating.

“I’m really sorry,” I say. I had actually wanted to see him play, but it wasn’t like I’d had a choice in how I spent the past hour. I look up at Erik to find him looking at me. His eyes seem kind of distant though, as if he’s not really here.

“New boyfriend?” Ben asks.

“Haha. No, he’s just a friend.” I gesture to Erik. “Erik, this is my annoying little brother, Ben.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet my princess’ brother,” Erik replies, suddenly back in the moment. He shakes Ben’s hand.

“Princess? She’s more like a troll,” Ben says.

“Rude!” I kick his soccer ball away from him. “Just for that, you can walk home.”

“What? It’s like a twenty minute drive!” he whines.

“Well, you’d better start walking then.”

“Princess,” Erik starts.

“Hm?”

“You’re not really going to make him walk home, are you?”

I shake my head minutely before turning back to Ben. “Maybe if you can get the ball from me, I’ll drive you home.” With that, I take off, kicking the ball downfield.

“You’re so slow!” Ben shouts, as he catches up with me.

“Still better at this than you.” He makes to kick the ball away from me when I turn around, blocking him and heading back the other way. That’s when I notice Erik on the sideline, watching with a curious expression on his face.

“Erik!” I shout, kicking the ball toward him. I don’t really expect much. The ball reaches him, and he kicks it. Hard. I’m so surprised I let it fly right past me and into the goal several yards behind me.

Holy cow.

The sound of running breaks me out of my surprise, and I turn to catch a ball to the forehead. “Ow!” I sink down to the ground, grabbing my head. “Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot!”

“Princess!” Erik is at my side in a moment. “Are you all right?” He looks right into my eyes, taking my hands away from my forehead. “Let me see.” He touches gently, and I feel my stomach flip. “Ah, it’s just a bit warm to the touch. Nothing serious. Thank goodness.” The relief in his voice is surprisingly genuine, and it makes me smile, of all things.

“My bad,” Ben says. “I didn’t mean to hit you there.”

“I bet,” I say, rubbing my head. “I hope it doesn’t bruise.” I sigh. “All right, short stack. Your punishment is that you have to walk to my car. It’s all the way on the other side of Main Street.”

“Are you serious?” he whines.

“Suck it up, cupcake.” I laugh as he stomps away in the direction of town.

I turn to Erik. “That was a nice kick.”

He shrugs. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I mean it. You could probably be a good forward.”

“A good…what?”

I laugh. “I’ll explain on the way to my car.”

“Let’s stop by the café so my brothers know what’s going on, princess.”

“Fine by me.”

We arrive at the café to find T sitting next to Matthew, laughing and talking with the boys. “He’s quick,” I say, smiling.

“To be fair, princess, he seems very curious about such a beautiful young lady being around so many young men.” Erik smiles at me, and I shrug off his compliment. Maybe this is normal for him.

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“I beg your pardon?” Erik says, frowning.

“It’s an expression,” I reply. I look down at Ben. “Hey, go order something. Get T to actually do his job.”

“Cool,” Ben says. He zips over to the counter, dribbling his soccer ball. When he gets to the counter, he bounces the ball on it over and over.

T looks at Ben, fake anger in his eyes. “That boy. He’s going to get an earful from me.” He gets to his feet, smiling at the demon brothers. “It was nice to meet you guys. Look after Raina for me.”

I glare at T who laughs before Erik and I make our way back to the boys. “Miss us?”

“Not really,” Sam says.

“Sam,” James chides.

“What?”

I sigh. “Anyway. What’s the plan for the rest of the day?”

“We’ll be setting up a perimeter around your house to keep you safe while you sleep,” James says.

“Right. Not that I’m going to be getting much sleep tonight.”

“Shall I keep you company, my princess?” Erik asks, leaning really close to my ear. I literally jump.

“Man, Erik, you really scared her,” Matthew says, shaking his head.

“My apologies, princess. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Erik says. I can tell his words are sincere.

“It’s fine,” I say. “Just wasn’t expecting you to get so close. Um.” Man does this guy make me flustered as all get out. He makes it hard to think straight. “Hey, wait.” I slowly gather my thoughts. “You guys aren’t sleeping outside tonight, are you?”

“We are,” James says, nodding. “Don’t worry about us. Just focus on resting tonight. It’s been a long day for you.”

“But, I—“

“Hey, Rai, let’s go!” Ben says, interrupting me. He’s holding a massive smoothie that looks kind of like guacamole. “I want to go home and watch TV.”

“You mean do your homework.” I sigh, and Erik chuckles.

“I can see you’re the one who keeps him in check,” Erik says, smiling.

“I try. Too bad he’s a snot-nosed shorty. Speaking of gross things, what did you get anyway?” I ask Ben.

“It’s called an ‘energy cleanse’,” he says, sounding really pretentious.

I shake my head. “Okay.” I turn back to the guys. “Three of you can fit in my car as long as you don’t mind getting close.”

“That’s fine, miss,” James says. “The others can make their way on their own.”

“Well, I can just come back and pick them up,” I say. “It’s not a big deal.” I pay for Ben’s drink, sighing. This kid is going to make me go broke.

“How considerate of you, princess. Your heart is as beautiful as you are,” Erik says, taking one of my hands.

I laugh, gently pulling my hand back. “Thanks.” He is really sweet, if a bit over the top. Or really, really over the top.

“Don’t worry!” Matthew says. “Sam and I can walk.”

“But you don’t know where I live,” I say, frowning.

“We’ll just follow James’ ener…um, map,” Sam says, looking at James.

“Wait, can’t we just—“

“A map, Matthew,” James says. “I’ll draw you one.” James turns to me. “Miss, if you’ll take your brother to your car? We’ll follow shortly.”

Ah. Top secret demon brother meeting. Swell. “Sure. Let’s go, short stuff.”

“Hey,” he whines. “I’m almost as tall as you.”

“Lies. You’ll always be a short stack to me.” I hold the door open for him and the couple that comes in just after.

Ben and I walk to the car, and he starts it up before sprawling in the back seat. “You know you’ll have to get up when the guys come, right?” I call from the driver’s side, outside of the car. He doesn’t respond, so I figure he’s ignoring me. Classic little brother maneuver.

I look down at my tank top, sighing. I wish I’d just worn a T-shirt. It really isn’t so hot now that it’s close to evening, and these kind of shirts make me feel vulnerable. I lean on the driver’s side door, waiting for the guys.

That’s when I see a black shape slowly become one of those terrifying-looking dogs from earlier today. I stare at it, feeling like I might be sick. The guys aren’t here yet, and apparently, they aren’t close enough to keep all the lesser demons at bay.

The dog-thing leers at me, growling and baring its fangs. It makes to lunge at me, but before I have time to do more than blink, it dissolves into red smoke. I look up to see Erik dashing toward me, looking incredibly concerned, Damien and James not far behind.

“Princess!” Erik cries, stopping right in front of me. Before he has time to say anything else, my legs give out. He catches me, holding me close to prevent me from sinking to the ground.

“I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t have left your side.” I barely register his words as panic rises up in me like bile. I shake my head, biting my cheek hard in an attempt to fight it back down. Erik is here. I’m safe as long as he or one of the others is near. I’m safe. I’m safe.

I repeat that to myself a few times, finally managing to force down the anxiety that had been threatening to come through.

It had only been five minutes, at most. Is this going to be my life now, constantly being worried about demons every time one of the boys isn’t near me? No. No, in a few days, I’ll forget everything.

Every demon, everything about magic…every one of the demon brothers. Erik…. I’ve only just met them, but I don’t want to forget them. I want to get to know them better.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ben asks, rolling down the back seat window. Am I okay? Ha. Not really.

“Yeah,” I say, turning to look at my little brother. “Just tired.” I prop myself up against the car, and Erik slowly releases me, making sure I’m steady on my feet. “Thank you.”

“Of course, my princess.” Erik looks at me for a long moment, and I know he’s searching for why I won’t meet his eyes. I hope he can’t find the answer in my face.

“Um, okay. So, Ben will have to sit in the middle since he’s the shortest,” I say, gesturing to the inside of my car. I open the doors for them on both sides and Damien and James slide in without another word. I hope Ben doesn’t feel awkward between the two of them. He’s holding his soccer ball like his life depends on it.

Erik gets into the front passenger seat, his eyes focused on me. I wish he would just look away.

“Seatbelts,” I say, making a show of grabbing mine and clicking it in place. After I hear four clicks, I put the car in reverse, backing out of the parking spot and heading home. I can’t fight the tears falling, but I pray that no one will notice.

When we get to the house, I rub my eyes really hard, hoping there will be no evidence of my crying. I open my car door, getting out without a word and opening both of the back doors of the car so the demons and my little brother can get out. Erik has already opened his door.

James and Damien slide out of the back, my little brother following after. He sprints into the house, yelling, “Mom, Raina’s brought home her new boyfriend!”

“Are you serious?” I groan. I look at Erik, shaking my head. “I’m really sorry. You’re going to have to come in and meet my family now. Mom will be offended if you don’t, and I’d hate for her to be upset.” I sigh. Mom has enough of her own life going on. She doesn’t need me giving her reasons to distrust me or anything.

Erik smiles, and I find I like him a little more. Anyone else would probably have been upset. “I’d be delighted to meet your family, princess,” Erik says. “That way I can tell your parents how beautiful and kind their daughter is.”

“Please don’t.” I shake my head. “And if you call me princess, my mom won’t believe you aren’t my boyfriend. Just so you know.”

Erik laughs. “If you wish it, princess.”

I turn to James, sighing. “I guess you guys will make yourselves scarce in whatever way you deem appropriate”

“Indeed, miss. You won’t need to worry about us.” James gestures to Damien and says, “We’ll be here. Should you need us for any reason, call any of our names. We’ll be close enough to hear you.”

“Hopefully, I will be sufficient in taking care of the princess for now,” Erik says, sounding a little offended at James’ words.

“Of course,” James says, smiling at his brother.

“Yo!” My little brother pokes his head out the front door. “Mom says hurry and bring your boyfriend inside.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” I shout back. Erik laughs, and I sigh.

“Your little brother is mischievous, princess.”

“I wish he’d go back to being silent,” I mutter, crossing my arms. “Used to be shy and quiet. Where’d my cute little brother go?” With that, I shrug, looking up at Erik. “Brace yourself. My mom’s got a strong personality. She’s wonderful, and I love her, but I’m just warning you.”

“I will be the picture of gentility,” Erik says.

I have no doubt he will be. With that, I head inside, Erik right behind me. I take one last look at James and Damien who both smile before opening the front door of the house. I step inside as does Erik before I close the door behind us.

“Take off your shoes if you don’t mind,” I say to Erik as I slide off my shoes. They were kind of old and I’d given up tying and untying them every day.

“Not at all, princess.” I have a sneaking suspicion he’s going to call me that in front of my mom too. I watch as he takes off his nice dress shoes, placing them beside my rough-looking ones. I could laugh at the difference. If I ever started thinking highly of myself, I could remember this image. That’d knock me down a few pegs.

“Follow me,” I say to Erik who has lost himself in looking around my house. “It’s not much, but it’s home.” I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel the urge to defend this place. Erik seems like the kind of guy who’s used to finer things.

“It’s lovely,” he says, smiling down at me.

I find myself smiling in return. Before I can say anything, my mom steps out of the kitchen, looking at us. “Ah! Hey, Mom.”

“Hi.” She eyes Erik with suspicion, and I sigh. Without a dad around, my mom takes on his role as well as that of a mom. She’s as protective of her only daughter as any father ever could be.

People tell me I look a lot like my mom. Really, it’s just the hair, though hers is a darker shade of brown than mine. I wish I had her hair color. Her hair isn’t nearly as frizzy or curly either. Her eyes are brown where mine are blue, and her skin can actually tan unlike my ghostly paleness.

My eyes come from my dad….

“Mom, this is Erik,” I say, gesturing at the demon beside me. What would my mom say if she knew he wasn’t human? I almost laugh at the idea.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Erik says, extending a hand to her. “I’m a friend of your lovely daughter. She didn’t tell me her mother was just a beautiful as she is.”

My mom’s face turns as red as mine, but she laughs it off where I can’t seem to. “Thank you.” She looks over at me and says, “When were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say. “Ben’s just being a little snot.”

Mom laughs. “That’s his job.”

“And mine is to kick his butt.” Erik laughs, and I smile. I like the sound of his laugh. It’s warm and full of feeling.

“Well, Erik, would you like to stay for dinner?” my mom asks him, to my surprise.

“I would be delighted to,” he says, also surprising me. Not that I mind him staying. It’s just unexpected.

“All right. I hope you like spaghetti.”

Erik grins. “That sounds delicious, thank you.” With that, Mom turns and heads back into the kitchen.

“Do you know what spaghetti is?” I ask him quietly.

“I do, indeed,” he says. “James and I did a fair amount of research into the more common dishes of this world before we came here.”

“Smart,” I say. “Well, dinner shouldn’t be too far off. We can watch TV or something until it’s done.”

“I’d like to see your room, princess,” Erik says, surprising me once again.

“My room?” My room was a hot mess right now. Crap. “Um, okay, but you have to give me a couple minutes to clean up.”

“I’ll give you two minutes,” Erik says, grinning mischievously. “If it takes longer than that, I might have to punish you, princess.” He touches the side of my face as he says this, and I find myself slightly frightened.

“Only kidding,” he laughs, taking a step back from me and dropping his hand. “Take as much time as you need.”

He’d been kidding. Of course he wasn’t serious. Leave it to me to take it too far. I dig a hand through one side of my hair, sliding my fingers toward my ponytail, holding the back of my head for a moment before nodding to Erik. “You can wait outside my door until I’m done.”

He follows me down a hallway and back toward my room. “No peeking,” I say when I stop outside the door.

“Of course not, princess,” Erik says, smiling. I slide inside my room, scurrying to clean things up. It’s not really that bad, I guess. There’s a few pieces of dirty clothes on the floor, some textbooks lying open on my desk, my bed’s not made, and there’s a plate in here from who knows how long ago. It’s been much worse before. I tidy up, feeling better about letting someone I barely knew into my room. I’d only known Erik for a few hours, but it doesn’t feel like it. It feels as though I’ve known him for years. I wonder why.

“You can come in,” I say to Erik as I sink down on my bed. He opens the door, and I throw my arms wide. “Welcome.”

He laughs. “Why thank you.” He looks around with a smile, taking in my dark blue bedspread and the posters on my wall, my desk textbooks resting on my desk and my laptop sitting next to them.

“It’s not much,” I say, shrugging. Why did I keep saying that? Stupid, stupid stupid—

“It’s cute,” he replies, meeting my eyes with a look that makes my stomach flip again.

“Um, you can sit in that chair,” I say, gesturing to the cushy chair at my desk. Erik takes a seat, and I take a deep breath. “Erik.”

“Yes, princess?”

“Did you mean what you said about my mom?”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“When you said she was beautiful….” My mom is overweight. She’s been self-conscious her whole life, and not once has she ever believed me when I told her she was pretty. I thought she was lovely. Not just in looks, but her personality was wonderful. She could make anyone laugh and feel welcome, even complete strangers. She made you want to tell her your deepest secrets in the hope that she’d share her own.

“I would never say something I didn’t mean.” Erik says, his expression serious.

“That’s good,” I say, shaking my head. “My mom got made fun of a lot when she was younger. She’s a lot more comfortable with herself now, but if I’d thought for even a second you were really making fun of her….” I trail off, uncertain how to continue. I’m sure I would have thrown him out on his butt if I’d really believed he could be that cruel.

“You’re really close to your mother, aren’t you, princess?” Erik is smiling at me again, his purple eyes sparkling.

I smile in return. “Yeah. She…she’s done a lot for me, you know?” That’s an understatement.

“I can understand that,” Erik says. “My mother has done much for me as well.”

We sit in silence for a moment before I ask, “Hey, is that your natural hair color?”

Erik laughs. “Why yes, princess. It is.”

I find myself laughing as well. “I figured as much. I’ve never seen hair that shade before.” I hesitate for a moment before deciding to be a bit brave. “Can I touch it?”

Erik’s smile fades from his face, and I swear I see a flicker of almost fear in his eyes. “If you wish to, princess.”

His reaction is the opposite of what I’m expecting. I’d genuinely thought he would either joke it away or invite me to with some sort of sultry look coupled with a flirty comment. Apparently, there’s an awful lot more to Erik than what he’d been showing me today.

“I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want me to. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

He stands from his chair, walking toward me, and settling next to me on my bed. He looks at me with a smile, and my heart skips a beat. “I promise, it’s all right, princess. A bit unexpected but not unwelcome.”

I look at him for a long moment before raising my hand and gently running my fingers through his hair. I find myself smiling. “It’s really soft.” I stroke his head a few more times before I realize what I’m doing and freeze. His eyes are closed, and he looks like he’s enjoying it.

Be bold, a voice in my head says. All right then. I stroke his head again and again, liking the feel of his soft hair between my fingers.

“Raina!” Ben’s voice makes both Erik and me jump, and I fall off my bed.

“Ow,” I mutter, looking up to find Erik offering me a hand. There’s a distinctly pink hue to his face. He’s just as embarrassed as I am. It’s kind of cute.

“Are you all right?” he asks as I take his hand.

I nod, “Mmhm.” I don’t really trust my voice right now. What was I just doing? Stroking the head of some total stranger. Something was seriously wrong with me. But I liked it. And so did he.

“Dinner’s done,” Ben says, pushing my door open. I’d left it cracked since my mom had a strict rule: no one of the opposite sex allowed in Ben’s or my room with the door closed. Thankfully, Ben hadn’t seen me basically petting Erik.

“Thanks,” I say. “Be there in a sec.” Ben leaves and I take a deep breath before looking up at Erik. “Okay. Um, food time.” He nods, and I turn to leave. Before I can even take a step, he grabs my hand, and I look back at him. “What’s up?”

His face is still pink, and the moment I meet his eyes, he looks away, laughing. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

My stepdad comes in while we’re eating dinner. He looks tired from a long day of work and incredibly cranky as usual. He looks over at the table, eyeing Erik with disinterest before heading back to his room, presumably to change out of his work clothes.

“Don’t worry about him,” I mutter to Erik as I take another bite of my spaghetti. “Hank is eternally cranky.”

“Is that so?” Erik asks, frowning. No one else says anything, and I don’t really feel like talking about my stepdad. I have a feeling he won’t like Erik. Not that he likes any of my friends, really. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about what that man thinks.

When Hank comes back into the kitchen, he grabs a plate and sits down at the table without a word.

“Hank, this is my friend, Erik,” I say, just to get introductions out of the way as quickly as possible.

Erik extends a hand to Hank. “It’s a pleasure, sir.”

Hank grunts, shaking Erik’s hand quickly before tucking into his food. Erik looks taken aback. He looks over at me, and I shake my head.

After taking another bite, I say, “I’m not really hungry.” With that, I get up from the table, gesturing for Erik to do the same. He eyes me curiously before standing.

“It was delicious,” he says to my mom. “Thank you very much.”

Mom gives us a critical look, but I just smile it away. “Wrap up your plates then. If you’re hungry later, you can finish them off.”

“Right.” I grab Erik’s plate and wrap it in plastic wrap, doing the same with mine after. I wordlessly head back to my room, wanting to punch something.

“Princess,” Erik says as soon as we step inside. “Are you all right?”

I rub my eyes with my hands, shaking my head. “Fine. I’m fine. I just hate when Hank is rude like that.”

“You call your father by his first name?”

“That man is not my father,” I growl. After a moment, I sigh. “Not that my dad would have won any prizes. Hank is my stepdad. He’s Ben’s father.”

“Ah. I see.” Erik puts a hand on my shoulder, and I feel myself relax a little bit.

“I don’t like when he’s rude to my friends. Or my family. Or anyone really. Hank is just rude to everyone.” I sigh.

“Don’t worry about it, my princess.” Erik comes around to stand in front of me, smiling. “I was a bit surprised at his manner, but I promise I’m not offended.”

I take a deep breath, looking away from him. “When things quiet down, we’ll bring some food to your brothers.”

“Is that why you ate so little?” I nod, and Erik laughs. “My princess truly is as kind as she is beautiful.”

“That sounds like an insult,” I reply, smirking. “Considering I’m pretty average-looking.”

Just then, my cell phone rings, and I grab it, looking to see who’s calling. Crap. “Gimme a second, Erik,” I say. He nods, and I answer the phone. “Yo.”

“Hey, is Mom there?” Straight to the point. No hello or anything like that. It’s what I’ve come to expect from my older brother.

“Why would you call MY cell phone to talk to Mom?” I ask, already feeling annoyed.

“She wasn’t answering hers.”

“Ron, just call the house. I’m not doing this right now. I’m busy.”

“Seriously? What could you possibly have to do right now?”

His words kind of hurt. Like what, he doesn’t think I have any friends? It’s a Friday night. I could be doing anything.

“Piss off,” I say, hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath.

“Is everything all right, princess?” Erik asks. I look up to see his purple eyes clouded with concern.

“It’s fine. Just my older brother being his usual self.”

“You have an older brother as well?”

I nod. “He’s moved out and living on his own now, so I don’t see him much. We don’t exactly get along all that well.” The house phone starts ringing, and I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

I leave my room, Erik following me. I feel bad for dragging him all around my house, but today just hasn’t been a good day. After dinner with Hank and that phone call, I’m ready to scream. I grab some small plates from the kitchen and open the fridge to dole out some spaghetti. Four little plates for Erik’s brothers, including our half-eaten meals. The phone stops ringing, so either he hung up or my mom answered it.

Erik takes two of the plates without a word, and we step outside to find his brothers. I’m expecting to find someone hiding somewhere really obvious, like behind the bushes right by the house, but I actually don’t see anyone. It isn’t until I hear a throat cleared that I catch sight of James resting beside one of the cars in the driveway.

“My mom’s got work in a few hours,” I say by way of greeting to him. “You’re not going to want to be near her car.”

James nods. “Fair enough.” He eyes what I have in my hands. “Is that for me?”

“And our brothers,” Erik replies. I hand a plate to James as Erik asks, “Where are they, do you know?”

“Damien is in the back, and Matthew and Sam have taken to either side. They shouldn’t be too hard to find.” James takes a bite of spaghetti and smiles. “Thank you for thinking of us, miss. This is rather good.”

“My mom will be happy to know you like her cooking.” I look up at Erik. “I’ll go around this side and you can go around the other and get the back too, okay?”

“Of course, princess,” Erik replies.

“Meet you back by the front.” With that, I set off, heading for one side of the house. There’s nothing but trees skirting the yard on this side, and so it’s a little bit creepy. I wish James had told me who was over here so I could call a name or something.

Just as I finish that thought, I hear someone shout, “Gotcha, demon!” I’m suddenly showered with freezing cold water, and I cry out, trying to block my face from the spray.

It stops as quickly as it started, and I open my eyes to see Matthew looking at me in horror. “Raina! I’m so so so sorry! I thought you were a demon coming after me!”

The situation is almost funny. Almost. “You’re fine,” I say, shivering slightly. It’s gotten a fair bit colder since the sun has gone down, and I’m still wearing a damnable tank top. “I’m glad your food is still covered in plastic.” I hand him a plate, and his bright blue eyes grow wide.

“Wow, for me?” He takes the plate and digs in with a childlike gusto. It’s kind of cute. I’d appreciate it more if I wasn’t cold and soggy. Matthew looks up at me after a moment, his happy expression fading. “I am really sorry. Not just about the water. All of this is my fault. If I hadn’t bumped into you today, you wouldn’t even know demons existed. You could have just kept living your regular life like a normal human.”

I sigh. He’s right. Any number of things could have been different for me today. But, there’s no sense in crying over spilt milk. Besides, if he hadn’t bumped into me, I never would have met him and his brothers. Not that I’ll remember them when this is all over.

“Are you okay?” Matthew leans in close to me, and I take a step back.

“I’m fine,” I say, grateful that it’s dark and he can’t see me on the verge of tears. I press a fist to my mouth for a moment, swallowing my emotions. “It’s just been a long day, you know?”

He nods. “For real.” He finishes off his food before handing me back the plate. “You should hurry inside and get some sleep.”

“Yeah.” I manage a smile as I say, “Don’t worry about me, Matthew. A little adventure in my life is kind of fun. Have a good night.”

“You too!” he calls after me as I head back to the front of the house. Erik and James are having a whispered discussion when I come around that immediately stops when Erik catches sight of me.

“Princess, what happened to you?” he asks, clearly distressed.

“Matthew thought I was a bad guy,” I reply, shrugging. The shiver that immediately races up my spine at the chilly night air completely ruins the nonchalance I was striving for.

James rubs his eyes with a hand, sighing. “It didn’t occur to him that he would be able to sense a demon, I suppose.”

“It wouldn’t,” Erik replies. “Thinking first was never one of his strong suits.” Erik puts a hand on my shoulder, and I suppress a shiver for an entirely different reason than the cold. “You should hurry inside and get changed,” he says to me.

“Yeah. Um, you guys will be okay? It’s kind of cold out here.”

Erik smiles at me, and I find myself growing warmer by the second. “How kind of you to think of us yet again, princess, but we’ll be all right. Just make sure you get some sleep. If you get lonely, I can always join you.” He winks at me, and I find myself laughing. Maybe I’m getting used to his flirting nature.

“I’ll pass,” I reply, and he chuckles.

“If you insist.”

“Good night,” I say to him and James before heading back into my house.

My stepdad is sitting on the couch watching TV when I step back inside. I take the plates to the sink before stepping back into the living room on the way to my room. Hank looks up at me and says, “Is Gayboy finally gone?”

“Excuse me?” He isn’t really trying to start something, is he?

“That guy you had over here,” he grumbles.

“Erik isn’t gay. Just because he dresses nicely doesn’t mean he isn’t straight. And even if he were, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

He just laughs under his breath. “No one straight dresses like that.”

“He’s not gay!” I shout. Which I guess I shouldn’t have, but I’m so not in the mood for this.

Hank gets up from the couch and steps toward me. “Don’t you yell at me.”

“Don’t call my friend something he isn’t. And not the way you said it.”

“I can say whatever the hell I want,” he replies, taking a threatening step toward me. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I can’t back down. I’m not the same frightened little girl he used to intimidate. Watching him and my older brother fight cured me of that fear. At the same time, it’s hard to not be a little afraid of someone taller and bigger than you approaching you like that.

“Not about my friends,” I growl, my voice low. Hank shoves me to the ground, and I cry out as I fall on a pile of shoes by the door.

“Hank!” Before I can even think, my mom comes around the corner, dressed in her nursing scrubs, hair half done for work. She takes in the situation with one glance. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Hank says, looking away from us both. He walks back over to the couch and sits down, tuning us out as though nothing really did happen.

I painfully get to my feet, wanting to scream. I’m soaked, sore, and tired. What a good day.

“Raina.” I look up at my mom who is more concerned than I’ve seen her in a while. Ever since my older brother moved out, there’s been a lot less fighting in the house. I don’t want to bring that stress back into her life.

“I’m fine,” I say to her. When she comes in for a hug, I dance around her. “Sorry, I’m a little wet. I went running,” I lie, hoping she’ll believe me. I don’t want to get her work clothes wet.

“All right,” she says to me. I feel horrible for lying to her, but she doesn’t need this right now. Besides, Hank would never hurt me. Not like he did my older brother. I shake those thoughts from my head, managing a smile.

“Have a good night at work, okay?”

“Good night, Raina,” she says.

“Good night, Mom.” I head back to my room, strip out of my wet clothes and put on pjs before collapsing onto my bed, so drained. There’s no way I won’t sleep tonight.

 

I wake up screaming, looking around me. Everything is dark. My room. I’m in my room. No one is dead like my dream showed me. I had watched as demons murdered my entire family, all my friends, and then each of the demon boys slowly and gruesomely.

But no. It’s just a dream. I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel the wet of tears on my hands. I start sobbing, trying to stifle the sounds so I don’t wake anyone.

“Princess.” I look up, still crying as Erik climbs in from my window. He’d asked me to leave it unlocked in case any of the brothers needed to make a quick entrance on account of bad demons coming to visit.

Before I can react or protest or anything, Erik sits on my bed, scooping me into his lap. “Shh,” he whispers, stroking my head. I should be leaping out of his arms. I should be fighting him or something, anything. Instead, I let myself be comforted by him, my sobs subsiding. When I close my eyes as the last of my tears dry, I feel like I can see the color yellow behind my closed eyelids. Weird.

“Are you all right, princess?” Erik asks, his voice close to my ear.

I don’t trust myself to speak, so I merely nod.

“That’s good.” He rests his head on my own, and we sit like that for a while before he says, “Bad dream?”

“Yeah. Demons killed my family and friends.” I shake my head. “It was awful.”

“It’s over now,” he says. “And I promise you that my brothers and I will never let that happen.”

I nod into his chest, catching the strong beat of his heart. It’s soothing as are his words and the tone of his voice. “I know. I trust you guys. I don’t know why, but I do.”

Erik chuckles. “I’m glad, princess.” We’re silent for a moment when he says, “Maybe if you ask me a few questions, you can distract yourself a bit.”

How does he know I’m still thinking about that dream? Damien was the one who could read minds, right? “Questions? About what?”

“Anything,” he says. “Within reason. Ask me anything and I’ll answer as best I can.”

I bite my lip, thinking. “You and your brothers are powerful demons, right?”

Erik nods. “Our kind of demons are the most powerful in the demon world.”

“What kind are you?”

There’s a pause before he replies. “Incubi.”

My stomach flips, and I scramble out of his arms and to the far side of my bed. “Wait. Like the ones you warned me about earlier?”

Erik nods. “Yes, princess, but I promise neither myself nor my brothers would ever feed off your energy without your consent. Unlike certain others of our kind, we understand basic decency. No one should ever have things like that forced on them.”

He sounds sincere, but how do I know I can trust him? To be fair, as far as I know, no one has tried to suck any energy out of me or however that works. I settle back beside him, but not so close that we’re touching anymore.

“How do you guys get energy?” I ask him.

Erik grimaces in the dark. “Well, we’re sex demons, so, obviously, sex is one way. The best way, really. But even a simple touch will give us energy. Gestures like kissing work better than a touch.” He shrugs as if this is basic knowledge.

“All right. Are there other ways you can get energy?”

“Food, but it’s nowhere near as effective.” I nod, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my head on them. “It would be like the difference between sticking your finger in an electrical outlet and being struck by lightning.”

“Wow.” That’s crazy. However, it makes sense for incubi, even if it makes me a little uncomfortable.

“Princess, I won’t take your energy from you without your permission.”

“Right,” I say, not meeting his eyes.

“Princess.” He touches my hand, and I look up at him. “I promise.”

I nod. “I trust you, Erik.” I squeeze his hand, and he relaxes, smiling softly.

“Permit me to ask you one question?”

“Sure.” I can’t imagine he would ask me anything I didn’t want to answer.

“Why were you so upset earlier?”

“Earlier?”

Erik looks right at me, and though it’s dark, I can still see his purple eyes clearly. “Damien sensed you were in distress shortly after we parted tonight, but he wouldn’t tell us why. He said it didn’t last long, but we were all concerned.”

I bit my lip, frowning and looking away. Of all the things he could have asked me…. I sigh. “My stepdad just said something really nasty, and it made me upset.” Erik doesn’t say anything, and I know he’s waiting for more. I look up into his beautiful eyes and say, “He called you gay.”

Erik frowns. “Princess, I’m flattered that you would get upset on my behalf, but it wasn’t necessary.”

I shrug. “I’m tired of him saying what he wants about my friends.” I rub my shoulder where I had hit first when I’d been pushed earlier. It would likely bruise tomorrow. Good thing I like to wear T-shirts.

I didn’t need anyone asking questions about bruises in awkward places.

Erik pulls me toward him for a quick hug before letting me go. “My princess is too kind,” he says, his voice low. “Do you think you can sleep now?”

No. My whole body is warm from where he held me, and I kind of want him to stay. “Yeah. Thanks, Erik.”

He smiles at me. “If you’d like, I can stay until you fall asleep and make sure you have good dreams.”

My earlier words echo in my mind: I trust you, Erik. “All right.” I slide down under my covers and close my eyes, as Erik’s hand gently strokes my hair.

“Sweet dreams, princess.”


	3. Hope and Fear

Erik is gone when I get up the next morning. My alarm clock says 7:15, and I sigh. Good enough. I get out of bed and take a shower, putting on a T-shirt and shorts. My mom will be home from work soon, and I kind of want to go for a walk. I wonder if any of the demon brothers are awake to go with me. I just don’t know if tiny demons will come after me if I walk by myself. 

As I walk past the door to the basement of our house, I stop and look at it for a long, hard moment. Duh. I facepalm before walking out the front door, humming to myself. James isn’t hiding out front as far as I can tell. I wonder where Erik went to hide last night.

I step out onto the driveway, still humming, when someone says, “Good morning, princess.” I jump, turning to see Erik with a smile on his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Morning,” I reply, a slight blush creeping onto my face as I remember last night. He’d been so kind to me, a random stranger. I sat in the lap of a random stranger. I….

“Does my princess like to sing?”

“What?” I look up at him.

“You were humming earlier. Do you like to sing?”

I smile. That’s at least easy enough to answer. “Yeah. I love singing. I just love music.”

Erik laughs. “How wonderful. Perhaps I can tempt you to sing for me?” he asks, stepping closer to me.

“Pass,” I say, stepping back. “I’m not great, and I don’t sing by myself in front of people.”

“Fair enough, princess. One day, I hope you’ll change your mind.”

“You can dream,” I tease, and he laughs again. “So, did you sleep well last night?”

He nods. “I found a decent place to stay, close enough to your window in case you needed me again.”

“Ah, about that.” I rub the back of my neck, looking at my feet. “Thank you.”

“Of course, princess. Anything for you.” He grins, and I shake my head.

“So, where are your brothers?”

“Around.” Erik gestures at my yard.

“Huh.” I yawn hugely, and Erik smiles. “I’m going for a walk down the road. “Want to come along?”

“Certainly,” Erik says. “Though I must say, it seems a bit early to be awake.”

I shrug. “I didn’t really want to sleep anymore.” With that, I head out down the driveway with Erik beside me. It’s a pretty morning, and Erik and I just talk about the weather and the things around us. 

When we get to the part of the road that passes over a creek, we stop and listen to the water.

“The human world is such a beautiful place,” Erik says, smiling.

“Especially in the spring,” I reply, and then we make our way back to the house. When we get there, my mom’s car is in the driveway, and all the guys are sitting next to the tiny front porch. They stand when they see us.

“And where have you been?” James asks, crossing his arms as we approach.

“We went for a walk,” I reply, not really liking his tone.

“You could have been attacked and we never would have known!”

“What you’re telling me,” I say, my voice low and angry, “is that I can’t even go for a walk without telling all five of you?”

James opens his mouth to speak when Damien steps up. “We only want to keep you safe, miss. We’re not trying to steal your freedom.”

Mind-reading. Right. “I understand that, Damien. I really do. But I’m already giving up my freedom by having to bring one of you with me everywhere. No offense, Erik.”

“None taken,” he replies.

“Look,” I say, making eye-contact with James. “Erik was the only one of you I saw this morning. I suggest you guys get cell phones if you’re going to stay here so I can text you when I need to go somewhere. Okay?”

James and I stare each other down for a long moment before he sighs, uncrossing his arms. “Cell phones.”

I pull mine out of my pocket. “You guys figure that out,” and with that I go inside. The house is quiet, and I know Ben and Hank are still asleep. I hear some noises coming from the bathroom, so I figure my mom must be home and getting ready to sleep for most of the day.

Heading into the kitchen, I settle down to a bowl of cereal, still fuming, when my phone goes off. The Caller ID reads “Anna-chan”, so I take a deep breath before answering.

“Heya.”

“Ey, yo girl.”

“It’s way too early for your sass,” I reply to her overly peppy, fake greeting.

“Aw. I thought it was funny,” Anna says.

“You always do.” I crunch into my cereal as I say, “What’s up?”

“Talking with your mouth full? Rude.”

“Bite me,” I reply.

“Ew, no. Anyway, whatcha doing today?”

I think about the boys, and I suppress a sigh. Maybe they’ll put me under house arrest for losing my temper. “Nothing. Why?”

“I was thinking about window shopping at the mall. Want to come with?”

“Anna, window shopping with you always turns into real shopping,” I say.

“Aaaaand?”

I laugh. “I’d love to come. Let me double-check real quick. What time to you want to do this?”

“I want lunch, soooo, noon? Ish?”

“All right. I’ll ask my mom and then get back to you.” We say our goodbyes and then knock on the door of the bathroom that Mom’s still in.

“Who is it?” she asks, her voice muffled. She’s probably brushing her teeth.

“Raina. Anna wants to go to the mall, and she invited me along. Can I go?”

“When will you be back?”

“Not sure.” I hear the sound of water running from behind the door. “I’ll text you when I get there and when I head back.”

“All right.” She opens the bathroom door, looking tired as crap. “I might not answer since I’ll be asleep, but text me.”

“Sweet! Thanks, mom!” I give her a quick hug. “Sleep well!”

“Thanks,” she mumbles, shuffling off to her room. She must have had a long night at work.

She closes the door, and I tiptoe back to the front of the house, trying to be quiet. My mom’s a light sleeper. I dump my soggy cereal down the drain, sighing. Now for the hard part about trying to go out today.

I open the door to the house to find no one in sight. Okay. Probably not a good sign. I want to call out for someone, but I don’t need my mom asking questions about why I’m shouting names into the wind.

Walking down the steps, I head out to my car, looking around. No one but me and my hideous excuse for a ride. She’s a big, ugly jeep-type thing, all white, and older than I am, but I love her. I gently thump the front door, sighing. Where could they be?

I head around to the side of the house, looking and listening intently. That’s when I hear some voices coming from the backyard. I walk around to find…a game.

The boys are standing on the makeshift kickball-field my mom had set up about a week ago and we’d just never taken down. There are four bases made of large rocks or pieces of wood, and the pitcher’s mound is marked by an old pillow no one cares about anymore.

It’s easy to tell the boys don’t actually know the rules of the game, but they’re trying. Sam is standing on home base, waiting to kick the old soccer ball we’d left out. Damien is on the pitcher’s mound, and Erik, James, and Matthew are standing behind Sam.

“Ready?” Damien calls to Sam.

“Just throw it already!” Sam yells. Damien throws the ball to Sam who kicks it as hard as he can. It goes airborne, flying over Damien’s head…and I jump and catch it. My hands sting, but it’s worth the satisfaction of the look on Sam’s and Matthew’s faces.

“Nice catch!” Matthew says, as I walk over to where all the boys are.

“Thanks,” I say, dropping the ball. “My hands kind of sting, though. Playing kickball with a soccer ball is just asking for it.”

“What do you normally play with?” Damien asks, coming over to us.

“A kickball.” I grin, and Damien and Matthew laugh. After a moment, I look over at James. “I’m sorry, by the way. About earlier. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you. I know you’re only trying to help.”

James sighs. “I should apologize as well. It’s not fair of me to expect you to know what I’m wanting from you without ever telling you. Damien was right when he said we’re not trying to take your freedoms from you. We only want you safe.”

I nod. “Thank you. Anyway.” I look around at them all. “My friend invited me to go to the mall today. I know you guys are going to want to keep an eye on me, so I don’t know how we should do this.”

James is quiet for a moment, thinking. “Well, at least one of us should go with you.”

“Allow me,” Erik says, stepping forward. “I would love to accompany my princess.”

“That’s fine with me,” I reply.

“All right. While you two are out, I’ll look into cell phones as Raina suggested. Erik, if anything goes wrong that you can’t handle, come straight back here, if possible. Otherwise, you know what to do.” James nods at Erik, who sighs.

“Yes, yes,” Erik says, sounding bored. “I’ll keep her safe.”

“Sweet!” I fist pump, grinning like an idiot before grabbing my phone and calling Anna back. I tell her I can come and let her know I’m bringing a friend. We set a meeting place and a time, and when I’m done, I’m feeling like I could catch soccer balls for hours.

“Okay, so I’ve got to find out what time it is,” I say.

“Nine o’clock,” James replies, looking at the watch I didn’t know he was wearing.

“All right. Well, we’ve still got time. How about I teach you guys how to play for real?”

I spent longer than I care to admit trying to figure out what to wear. Going out today isn’t a date. But it’s going out with a cute guy. Anna will be there too, though, and if I dress up, she’ll totally call me out on it, saying I only dressed up for Erik. Which would be the truth.

In the end, I decide on a cute tank top and some shorts. I’m not a tryhard by any stretch of the imagination. Comfy is best for me in an unfamiliar situation, and hanging out with a really cute guy fits that category. I get into a staring contest with my glasses, trying to decide if I should wear them. The glasses win, and I put them on, sighing. I’d only gotten them a few days ago, but I’m not supposed to drive without them. Oops.

I step out of my room and out into the living room where Erik is waiting. He smiles when he sees me. “You look so cute, princess.”

My blush burns my face. “Thanks,” I reply. Just brush it off. That’s the only way I can handle his over-the-top flirting.

“I like your glasses,” he says, coming over to stand in front of me.

“That makes one of us. I guess I’ll get used to them.”

Erik raises a hand and touches the skin on my face just below my glasses, making me freeze. “They merely add to your beauty.”

“Mm.” I step back from him. “Okay, are you ready?”

He nods. “Lead the way, princess.

We head to my car and hop in, and I fiddle with my iPod, setting it to shuffle. I have to use a tape player adapter to make it so my tunes can play, but it’s worth it to not have to deal with the ancient radio in this thing.

As we drive, we don’t say much, just listen to the radio. It isn’t until a song comes on that’s in a different language that Erik speaks up.

“What is this?” he asks me, frowning at the unfamiliar words.

“Japanese,” I reply, trying to sound nonchalant. Anna and I are into things like anime and manga, so it’s okay for me to talk about these things with her. However, I’m well-aware some people would judge me for that. I hope Erik isn’t one of them. Even Anna judges me a little. She’s not really into Japanese music.

“It’s interesting,” he says, listening and nodding his head to the catchy anime theme song. I find myself relaxing, relieved that he doesn’t seem to think I’m a total dork.

“This one’s the opening song for a cartoon I really like,” I say. “I really think the language is pretty too.”

He nods. “It’s different but not in a bad way.”

I smile. “Right? I may not understand exactly what’s being said, but that’s the beauty of music. It transcends language and culture.” I stop, suddenly, realizing that I’m gushing a bit too much. I steal a quick glance at Erik, but he’s still just nodding and listening to the music. Relief floods through me at the thought that Erik doesn’t seem to find me weird.

The song ends and then another comes on, this time in French. Erik frowns at this one. “This isn’t the same language. The words sound familiar for some reason.”

“It’s French,” I say. “This one I actually understand the words to.”

“You speak French?” Erik asks.

“A little.” I sing some of the lines for him before saying, “The gist of this one is there’s a guy who absolutely loves a girl, but she’s leaving him. He’s memorized the stars in her eyes, the curves of her body, the texture of her skin. So, all he wants is one last dance with her before she leaves.”

“How sweet,” Erik says, smiling.

“I’m a sucker for romantic things like that,” I say. “There’s this one line that I absolutely love in this song. It’s ‘il fallait seulement qu’elle respire. Merci d’avoir enchante ma vie’. It means ‘it’s only necessary that she breathes. Thank you for enchanting my life’.”

Erik looks over at me for a long moment, and I find I’m thankful I’m driving so I don’t have to meet his beautiful purple eyes. “That’s absolutely lovely,” he says after a while.

“Isn’t it?” I say, daring a quick glance his way. My heart jumps at the tender expression on his face, and I swiftly focus on the road again. “Like I said, I’m a sucker for big romantic gestures and sweet words.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he replies.

“Pass. It’s got to be sincere. You can hear the longing in this guy’s voice and the feeling behind his words. Gestures with no passion or sincerity don’t mean anything to me.”

Erik doesn’t say anything for the rest of the ride to the mall.

  


“Raina!!!” Anna is jumping up and down, waving at me from the Chick-fil-a in the food court. There are a lot of other food options here like a couple of Chinese places, a Mexican place, a pizza place, and a burger one, but Chick-fil-a is kind of Anna’s and my go-to. It’s hard to say no to chicken and waffle fries.

“Yo,” I say to her as we get closer. I feel bad for the other customers we’re cutting in front of, but Anna pays them no mind. She only has eyes for Erik. Suspicious ones.

“Hey,” she says, still looking at Erik. I don’t blame her. He’s six-foot-something and absolutely handsome with his purple eyes and red hair. I know Anna likes a guy who looks like he takes care of himself well, and Erik definitely gives off that vibe.

“Anna, this is Erik,” I tell her so she’ll stop looking at him like that.

“Nice to meet you,” she says, still hesitant.

“Likewise,” he replies, smiling. “It’s a pleasure to meet a friend of my princess.”

“Princess?” Anna looks at me, and I sigh, shaking my head.

“Erik, can you chill with the princess thing?”

He frowns, and I almost think he looks sad. “If you really wish it, I won’t call you that anymore.”

“Well, I…mmph. It’s fine, Erik. It doesn’t…really bother me. It’s just embarrassing, sometimes.”

“I think it’s cute,” Anna says.

“And I think you should shut up,” I reply.

She laughs at me. “Well, I’d love for a guy to call me something like that. It’s sweet.”

“If Erik and I were dating it’d be different,” I say. “But when he says stuff like that, people get the wrong idea. Like my little brother. And my mom. And you.”

“Hey, I never said I thought you were dating,” she says, defending herself.

“But you were thinking it.”

“Was not.” I know she’s lying, but there’s no sense in calling her on it.

It’s our turn in line, so I look up at Erik. “What do you want to eat?” I ask him.

“Anything is fine,” he says, not looking at me.

“Oh…um, okay.” Is he upset with me? I order for us and then we step aside, waiting for Anna to finish ordering. “Erik?”

“Yes?” he says, not looking at me.

“You can call me princess if you want. I promise it’s okay.”

“I wouldn’t want to upset you.”

“It’s fine.” I smile up at him. “It’ll just take some getting used to is all.”

“All right, princess,” he says, turning to me, a smile gracing his face again.

Just then, Anna comes over. “Want to find a seat?”

“I don’t mind waiting here,” I say. “I feel bad making them come look for us.” The Chick-fil-a employees are always so nice, going out of their way to find people who order even when they take a seat somewhere in the food court. It makes me feel guilty if I take advantage of that.

“Okay,” she says. “So, what have you been up to since I saw you yesterday?”

What have I been up to since Friday morning? Demons and soccer practice and arguments with one of those demons and kickball and now the mall. “Not much, really.” I look up at Erik who smiles down at me.

“Okay, you two are kind of gross.”

“What?”

“You’re sure you aren’t dating?”

“Yeah,” I say, a blush creeping across my face. “Why?”

“Because the looks he keeps giving you make me think you two need a room.”

“Anna!” I cry, shaking my head.

“Just saying.”

I look to Erik for help before I realize I probably shouldn’t have. “I apologize if I’m causing you any discomfort,” he says to Anna. “Sometimes, I’m just in awe of how beautiful my lovely princess is.”

“Oh, I’m done,” I say.

Erik laughs. “Merely teasing. It’s just that you’re so cute when you blush.”

I grunt, grabbing Erik’s and my food when my name is called and heading to a table. I drop the tray with our food on the table, turning to Erik. “Could you not lay it on so thickly?”

He frowns. “What do you mean, princess?”

“You don’t need to be all flirty like this all the time.”

“I only wish to pay compliments where they are due,” he says.

“Well, it feels pretty fake to me,” I reply. “No one can keep it turned on all the time. Don’t you ever just want to talk to people normally? Without all the pretense?”

“Princess, I can assure you, I’m just a lover of beautiful women,” he says, stepping closer to me.

I shake my head. “There’s more to it than that, Erik. I may not be the most intuitive person, but I can tell, there’s something else.”

He blinks in surprise, his silence stretching between us like a rubber band pulled taut. When it finally snaps, that silky smile of his takes its place. “Do you want there to be more?” he asks.

I sigh, but before I can say anything, Anna comes over. “Why did you leave me?” she groans, settling down next to me.

“Sorry,” I say. “I was trying to get away from Erik, but he followed me.” I stick my tongue out at him, and he laughs.

“My princess will have to try a bit harder if she wants to be rid of me.”

“It’s a good thing I like having you around,” I reply.

“I’m glad.” The tension that had been between us only moments before slides away at his words, and I find myself rather relieved.

“Once again, gross,” Anna says, taking a bite of her chicken sandwich. “Get a room.”

After we finish eating, Anna tells me the game plan for today which involves an awful lot of actual shopping as opposed to just looking. We set off for the first store on her list, she and Erik talking like they’ve known each other forever. It makes me happy to see them getting along, especially after the weird dynamic Erik and I had created earlier. I don’t want him to be unhappy, and I even more so don’t want to be the cause for his sadness.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice the vast increase in people around me. Suddenly, the mall’s walkways seem really crowded. I look up to find Anna or Erik, but there are too many people around. I’ve lost sight of them.

Without warning, my heart starts beating faster. A voice inside me takes over, interrupting all rational thought. Get out. Too many people. All alone. No. Not here. Not now. Too many people. I need to get out. I need to leave. I can’t... I…. I fall to my knees, the panic swallowing me whole. I’m drowning in terror, that voice in my head becoming all I can hear aside from the animalistic sobs escaping from my throat, desperately calling for someone, anyone. Help me.

“Raina!” Suddenly, a pair of arms wraps around me, and I look up to see Erik holding me, a look of absolute terror on his face. “Raina, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t,” I whisper, my voice barely making a sound. “I-I can’t.” I don’t even know what I can’t do anymore. There’s nothing but fear in me now. I’m afraid. I grip on to Erik, crying so hard it hurts.

Behind my closed eyes, I barely register a soft, purple light. Slowly, my body begins to relax, my fear being replaced by calm. I break the surface of my fear, gasping for air and holding Erik even tighter. As the fear subsides, I can hear him whispering to me. “It’s all right, Raina. It’s going to be all right.”

When the fear is completely gone, he pulls away from me slightly, looking into my eyes, concern prevalent in his own. “Princess, what happened?” he asks me, his voice so gentle.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, burying my face in his shirt. I’m so disgusted with myself that I can’t even look him in the eye.

“Don’t be,” he says, holding me close and stroking my hair.

“I have…panic attacks sometimes,” I say to his chest. “Usually, there’s a trigger for them but often there’s no warning. I just get so frightened that I can’t think, I can’t move, I can barely breathe.” Just talking about them makes my heart race like a startled rabbit. There’s purple light again, and I find myself relaxing once more.

“But it usually doesn’t stop like that,” I say, pulling away from Erik and forcing myself to look into his eyes.

He nods. “I’m sorry, princess. I used my powers on you to calm you down.”

I shake my head. “That’s fine, Erik,” I say before he starts feeling too guilty for helping me. “It really helped. I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Aside from being able to enthrall people for the purpose of gathering energy, I have the ability to help people calm down or relax,” he says, not meeting my eyes.

“Magic,” I mumble. I realize I’m still gripping onto him and quickly let him go. “S-sorry.”

“It’s quite all right, my dear,” he says, stroking my head and smiling. “I do hope you can forgive me for using my powers on you.”

“Mm-hm,” I say, nodding. He helps me to my feet as Anna comes rushing over.

“Raina! Are you okay?” she asks, panicked.

“I’m fine. Just a little panic attack,” I say, laughing in a self-deprecating way. “You know me. Scared of my shadow and all.”

She shakes her head. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

I look up at Erik who hasn’t taken his eyes off me since I got to my feet. “Me too.”

“Maybe you should hold Erik’s hand so you don’t get separated from us again,” she says, looking between the two of us.

“I agree,” Erik says. He holds his hand out to me, and I take it without hesitation. It’s so warm and big compared to my own. He squeezes gently, and I find myself smiling up at him.

“Okay,” I say. “Let’s keep going.”

I learned a lot about Erik today. He’s a self-proclaimed “lover of beautiful women”. He can use his incubi powers to calm people. He likes clothing. If Anna hadn’t gagged at the thought, he probably would have had me try on half the store we’d gone into so Anna could find some jeans. I made the mistake of telling Erik I wished I looked good in cute clothes. Oops.

But the thing that surprised me the most was that he can play piano. We’d gone into a music store because Anna wanted some reeds for her clarinet, and apparently I’d been ogling a piano because Erik asked me if I could play.

“I wish,” I’d replied, and then he’d sat down and proceeded to play a tune I’d never heard before. I was absolutely mesmerized, watching his long fingers dancing across the keys like a professional. 

When he’d finished, the whole store was applauding.

When we finally left the mall, parting ways from Anna it was a little after 4pm. Erik and I spent the car ride with him asking me questions about my anxiety.

“What can trigger it?” he asked.

“A lot of things. Bridges, small spaces, big crowds, being alone, traffic. Surprises don’t sit well with me, and sometimes just feeling an emotion too strongly can set me off.” He frowned at that, but I shrugged. “It’s better than when there’s no warning at all.

He’d apologized again for breaking his promise to me about using his powers without my permission, but I’d brushed it off. “I would have been more upset if you’d had the ability to help me and just watched instead.”

“Never.”

I told him it was okay if he needed to do that for me again, and then we talked about other things. Happier things.

  


When we get home, the rest of the night is pretty uneventful. Erik finds his brothers and James tells me they’ve gotten cell phones, which is surprising enough in my mind. I exchange numbers with all of them before asking them to meet me by the door to the basement after my mom leaves for work, and then I go inside. Ben’s in the shower when I come in, Hank and my mom sitting on the couch watching TV.

I talk with Mom for a little bit before going back to my room and turning on my laptop. I bury myself in writing, scrapping scene after scene of my latest disaster of a novel before joining my family for dinner. After that, I go right back to writing until I hear my mom call her goodbyes as she leaves for work.

“Bye, Mom!” I call to her. “Have a good night!”

“You too!” And then she’s gone. I wait for a good ten minutes and make sure Ben and Hank are in their rooms for the night before I sneak downstairs and into the basement. It’s finished, carpeted on both sides and split by the stairs. The laundry room is off of a room on one side, and on the other side is a living area and what my older brother once used as a bedroom.

There’s a big TV in the living area along with most of our game systems. Whatever movies don’t fit on our movie bookshelf upstairs are down here along with the majority of our video games. I had to do inventory on that stuff when my older brother left to make sure he hadn’t tried to steal any of it. I’m still not convinced he only tried to steal one game from us. He probably got away with something I didn’t notice.

I flick on a few lights downstairs because the place is pitch black at night, and that terrifies me. Tiptoeing through the room next to the laundry room, I pull back the blinds that cover the sliding glass doors that lead to the outside to find five dorks, I mean, demons, waiting outside.

Quickly, I slide open the door, stepping out to meet them. “Okay, so here’s the deal. Ever since my older brother moved out, no one uses this part of the house anymore. So, if you guys want, when my mom’s away at work, you can stay here. Sleep, stay up, watch the mold grow on the ceiling, do whatever.”

My words are met with silence, so I say, “There’s no mold on the ceiling.” They’re still quiet, and I don’t know what to do. After an unbearably long moment, Matthew fist pumps the air.

“All right!” he shouts.

“Shh!” I hiss. My stepdad’s room is right there.” I point to the window directly above us.

“My bad.” Matthew grins sheepishly.

“Seriously,” Sam mutters, shaking his head.

“Hey!” Matthew whispers, indignant.

“Okay, guys, chill out,” I say, trying to get them to focus. Five guys are surprisingly easily distracted.

“Sam, Matthew,” James snaps, and they both grunt, turning back to face me. “Thank you kindly for the offer, miss. You’re very considerate of us.”

I shrug. “I don’t like the idea of you guys sleeping out here. It makes me feel like a jerk that I’m in my nice bed and you guys are sitting on the dirt or grass. It’s not like offering this to you puts me out in any way. You might even say it’s selfish of me. I want you guys in here because it makes me more comfortable.”

“Why do you try so hard to pretend you aren’t being kind?” Damien asks me, frowning.

“What?”

“He’s got a point,” Sam says. “Just take a compliment already.”

I blink in surprise. “W-well.” Leave it to five strangers to see through me completely. “I don’t take compliments well,” I say. “Never have. Whatever. Do you guys want to stay here or not?”

Rather than answering me, Matthew and Sam just head right past me inside, Matthew saying, “She kind of sounds like you, Sam.”

“Shut up, squirt,” Sam snaps.

“Don’t call me squirt!”

“Shh!” I hiss at their retreating forms. With a sigh, I turn to see Damien, Erik, and James smiling at me. “Anything from the rest of you?”

“I’m good,” Damien says, sliding past me with a smile on his face. Why couldn’t Sam and Matthew just be sweet like him?

“Thank you for offering this to us,” James tells me as he walks in after his brothers.

And then it’s just Erik and me.

He’s smiling at me in a way that’s making my stomach flip like crazy. His eyes are so sweet, and I brace myself for more outrageous flirting.

“My princess is as kind as she is beautiful,” he says.

“I think you’ve told me that before,” I reply, smiling. “Do…you really think I’m beautiful?” It’s shameless of me to ask, and I won’t believe him anyway, but I could use something like this after the ups and downs of today.

“I do,” he says, stepping closer to me. “I would never lie to you about something like that.”

I shrug. “You always talk like you want something other than just friendship with me, so I don’t really know what to believe.”

“And if I did?” he asks.

“Wh—“

“Teasing.” He steps close to me, tapping me on the nose. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”

“Erik!” I groan. “That! Why do you do that? It’s so…not like you. Not that I really know you. It just…doesn’t feel like you.”

He smiles softly at me. “Give me a little bit of time, okay?”

I frown. “For what?”

“I’ll explain it all, but I just need a little more time. Will you wait for me?”

“Erik…if you need me to, then I will,” I say. “Even if I don’t know what I’m waiting for.”

He nods. ”Thank you.” He takes one of my hands, squeezing it softly before heading inside. I follow after, leading the boys to my brother’s old room. “It’s not much, but it’s better than outside,” I say, trying to defend the empty space. My brother had taken his bed but the dressers were still in the room.

“Let me get you guys some pillows and blankets or something,” I say, looking around.

“It’s okay,” Sam says. “It’s not like we need to sleep any—“

“That would be lovely, miss,” James interrupts, glaring at Sam.

“Be right back,” I say, tiptoeing upstairs. I grab as many blankets as I can from our closet, shaking my head. My mom loves to keep the house cold, so we have tons of blankets. I can’t find more than two extra pillows, so I don’t bring any down.

Erik meets me at the bottom of the stairs and helps me bring the blankets to his brothers. “Okay, do you guys want anything else?” I ask them, yawning.

“A bed time story?” Matthew asks.

“Grow up,” Sam snaps at him.

“Can we not behave like children?” James asks, sighing.

“Man, seriously?” Matthew groans. “I’m not even the youngest.”

“Ahem.” James clears his throat and everyone grows silent. “No, miss,” he says to me. “We’ll be perfectly all right.”

“Okay,” I say, smiling at the brothers. I wish my brothers and I were as close as these guys. “Good night.”

“Good night!” they call in unison.

I make to head back upstairs, but I hesitate at the foot of the steps. After a moment of indecision, I decide to go out to the back patio. Opening the sliding glass doors again, I step out into the night.

The patio is really just a bit of concrete covered by an overhang. It’s kind of nice to sit out here on one of the plastic chairs on a spring night when it isn’t too hot and there aren’t any mosquitoes to eat you alive.

I’m tired, but I turn on the little old radio that’s sitting on a table out here. I kind of want some music to accompany the night air. One of my favorite songs comes on, a slow one, and suddenly I want to dance. There’s no one watching, so why not?

I’m twirling around, not really paying attention to what I’m doing, just moving to the music, so I don’t notice Erik until the song ends. When I see him, my face burns bright red, and I’m glad it’s too dark for him to really be able to tell.

“Dancing by yourself, my dear?” he asks, smiling that same soft smile as before. My heart skips a beat. What’s wrong with me?

“Yeah,” I say, shrugging. “Just kind of…blowing off some extra energy, I guess.”

He steps toward me, extending a hand. “May I have this dance?” he asks me as another slow song comes on.

“I don’t know how to really dance,” I say, looking at his hand.

“Would you like me to teach you?”

I nod, hesitantly placing my hand in his. He steps toward me, settling one hand on the small of my back and holding mine with the other. I put a hand on his shoulder, and suddenly we’re so close. So very close.

He leads me through some very simple steps, and I’m worried I’ll absolutely butcher them, but, somehow, I don’t. He guides me gently through song after song, and I’m able to follow his lead perfectly. It’s like a scene from a fairy tale. Erik does resemble a fairy tale prince in many ways, to be honest.

It isn’t until a commercial comes on the radio that I stumble, suddenly not having a beat to move to. Erik catches me against him, chuckling softly. “Falling for me?” he asks.

My heart jumps into my throat, and I immediately right myself, turning away from him and taking short, quick breaths. “Sorry,” I say once I’ve gotten control of myself. “I’m terminally clumsy.”

He laughs. “You were rather graceful just now, my princess.”

I smile. “There’s a first time for everything.” A yawn escapes me, and I stretch my arms high over my head.

“Sleepy at last?” Erik asks, coming closer to me. “Shall I carry you to bed?”

My heart leaps at the idea, and I raise up my hands in a stopping gesture. “I’ll pass. I think I can make it to bed on my own.”

He grins at me. “All right, my beautiful princess.” I turn the radio off and we head inside, parting ways at the stairs with a good night. Once I’m at the top of the stairs, I race to my room, shutting the door and flinging myself on the bed, burying my face in my pillow.

Falling for me? he’d asked.

At that moment, I’d been seconds from saying yes.


	4. Lazy Days and Sundays

I wake up to my mom yelling my name, and all I can think is that she’s found the guys. I sit up in bed, looking at the clock in my room: 9:12. Did she only just get home?  
Stumbling out of bed and into the hallway, I see some groceries on the floor in the living room. Oh. She went shopping. I breathe a sigh of relief as I walk toward the groceries, my mom waiting for me to open the screen door, her arms full of bags.  
“Why did you go shopping?” I ask. “You could have waited until later since you don’t have work tonight.”  
Mom shrugs. “It’s one less thing to worry about later. Will you bring in the rest? There shouldn’t be much left in the van.”  
“Sure thing,” I say, heading outside. The back hatch of the van is open, and a few bags of groceries are left. I walk over to it, grabbing them all before turning back to the house.  
“Need a hand?”  
I jump at the sound of Erik’s voice, nearly dropping everything. “I’m fine,” I say, breathing deeply to calm myself. “Um, good morning.” Thoughts of last night dance in my head, and I have to distract myself with anything.  
“Good morning.” Erik’s smile could melt steel. “Matthew found some video games in your basement last night.”  
That isn’t what I’m expecting to hear. “Cool?”  
“He wants you to show him how to play them, despite James protesting that as rude.”  
I shrug. “I mean, I like games as much as the next person. I can ask my mom and see if you guys can’t all come over today. We can just hang out. It’ll be nice.” The thought makes me smile. A chill day with some demons. Why the heck not?  
“You’re too kind, princess.” Erik grins. “Matthew will be eternally grateful.”  
“Just Matthew?” Wait. Why did that come out of my mouth?  
“All of us, of course,” Erik says without even batting an eye. Thank goodness he didn’t find that weird.  
“I’ll text you to let you know the verdict, okay?”  
“All right, princess,” Erik says, smiling. He looks at me for a moment longer, and I remember I’m still in my pjs.   
“Ah! Um, okay. See you in a bit.” The blush on my face is only made worse by the fact that I almost trip on my way up the stairs to the front porch. I turn back to Erik, gesturing for him to shut the back of the van before scurrying inside.  
Mom is putting away groceries, so I join her. “Hey, I have a question,” I say.  
“No.”  
“Okay.” This is the give and take between my mom and me. I ask her for something, and she says no, whether she’s heard my question or not. Then I say okay, and she either gets too curious to just leave it be, or she says yes because she’d meant to all along. I think it’s kind of funny, and it bothers my friends when I try and do the same to them.   
“What do you want, Raina?”  
“Can Erik and his brothers come over today?”  
“Erik and his brothers?” My mom frowns. I knew she’d get a bit stuck on that. Having only just met Erik two days ago, having him come over might have been a stretch, let alone a few other strangers. Four of them, to be exact.  
“Yeah. They live down the road, and I promised them we’d play some video games together some time. I finished all of my homework, and I promise we’ll behave. If you don’t like any of them, I’ll kick ‘em out,” I state, only half-joking.  
She takes a minute to respond, but when she does, it’s with a sigh. “All right. But not until after I wake up. I’m going to sleep until one, all right?”  
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, snapping a smart salute. I quickly help finish putting away the groceries before she heads off to bed. Then, I text Erik and let him know when they can all come over. After that, I spend the morning grabbing the game systems that were in the basement and bringing them upstairs. I’m not sure what the guys are going to want to play, but it’ll be good to have lots of options.   
After getting dressed in comfy, casual clothing, I make some lunch and watch TV until my mom gets up. I tell her the guys will be here around 1:30, and then we wait. Or I wait. My mom grabs her iPad and vegs out, looking like she hasn’t a care in the world. And at the moment, she doesn’t. After all, she’s not the one who might be hunted by demons, have her memory wiped, and be falling in love with someone she’s only known for barely two days.  
The knock at the door makes me jump, and my mom looks up. “I guess that’s them,” I say, heading over to the front door. I take a deep breath before opening it to reveal Erik and the guys, all dressed much more causally than when we first met. That doesn’t mean they all don’t still look ridiculously attractive.  
“Hey,” I say to them, feeling kind of silly. I haven’t had this many guys over before, and I can’t shake the thought that they’ll find me stupid or something. Which is dumb because I know them. Sort of. I mean, are we friends? Maybe? It’s only been a couple of days. What are we?  
Before I have time to think myself into a stupor, Erik steps inside. “Good to see you again, Raina.” I jump at the sound of my name in his voice. Not princess? I’m both relieved and a little disappointed.  
“Yeah,” I reply, feeling even stupider. “Um, you’ve met my mom, Erik.” I gesture to her as she gets up from the couch. “Mom, these are Erik’s brothers.” I introduce each of them and they make the proper remarks to her.  
“Nice to meet you all,” she says, smiling. “I’ll just be around. Don’t mind me.”  
“You’re fine, Mom,” I reply. “By the way, where’s Hank?” Not that I care too much, but I don’t really want him giving me a hard time about having so many people over.   
“He had better be on his way to pick up Ben,” Mom replies. “He spent the night at a friend’s house.”  
“Shows how much I pay attention,” I say. “Anyway.” I clap my hands together before heading over to the TV and settling down on the floor. There isn’t really enough space on the two couches for us all, and the controller cords don’t reach far enough anyway.  
“I have some games here, so, uh, take your pick. I can tell you whatever you want to know about any of them.” I pick up the stack, handing it to Matthew who takes it eagerly. It’s full of multiplayer games like Mario Party and such. Hopefully, one of these will catch someone’s eye.  
“This one,” Sam says, snatching a game from the stack.  
“Hey!” Matthew whines. “Give it back.”  
“Buzz off, squirt.” Sam hands me the game he’s picked.   
“Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sure thing.” I pop in into the Wii. “Um, so it’s a beat ‘em up kind of game where you pick a character and basically smack the snot out of each other.” I shrug. “It’s fun when you get the hang of it.” I frown at the controllers and Wii remotes. “Who wants to play?”  
“I’ll pass, at least for the first round,” James says, pushing his glasses up on his nose. “I’m not huge on games.”  
“All right,” I say, handing Wii ‘motes to the other four. The game loads in, and I set things up so that they can pick their characters and put it on stock mode. “Choose whoever you think looks cool and go from there.”  
Sam picks Link, Erik takes Mario, Matthew grabs Falco, and Damien takes Fox. The game starts, and I watch, trying not to smile as they struggle through the controls. Whenever someone asks, I tell them about controls and how things work on certain maps. They play a few rounds, slowly getting the hang of things. Sam manages to win every round, and he’s got a smug smile on his face by the end of the fourth one.  
“Okay, okay,” Erik says, shaking his head. He hands me the Wii ‘mote. “I’d personally like to see how someone who knows what she’s doing plays this game.”  
“Uh, sure,” I say. I select Jigglypuff, and Sam snorts.  
“That pink thing? Please. I’ll wipe the floor with you.”  
“Bring it,” I reply, and the game starts. The guys spend some time trying to wail on each other while I taunt on one side of map. Every time someone gets close to me, I shield and then throw them off the level. They’re not really good at recovering….  
Eventually, it’s down to Sam and me. He has one stock left and I have two. I’d lost one from rolling off the stage just for the heck of it. “All right!” Sam says. “I’ll finish you off, puffball!”  
I don’t say anything as he brings Link close to me for an attack. I shield and then immediately use Sing.  
“What the?” Sam tries to move but his character is still sleeping.  
“Good night,” I say as I use Rest. He’s instantly launched off the map, and the announcer cries out: GAME!  
“What the heck was that?” Sam asks me.  
“Puffball has game,” I say, laughing at his bewildered expression. “I’ll play one more, and I’ll get serious this time.”   
“I might have to pass,” Damien says. “James, would you like to give it a try?”  
James shrugs, taking the controller from Damien. “Seems simple enough.”  
“I have a feeling that my princess will ‘wipe the floor with you,’” Erik says, smiling.  
I grin. “No going easy this time. Gotta pick my favorite.” I choose Ike as my little brother walks in the door.  
“Ew, pretty boy,” he says, and I laugh.  
“I love Ike. He’s my kind of pretty boy.” I hit start and the game begins. I mercilessly slaughter them with Ike’s moves, and by the time the match is over, the guys are more than ready to concede defeat.  
“All right, all right. You’re good,” Sam says.  
I shrug. “I just like having fun.”   
“That was really fun!” Matthew shouts.  
“Glad you think so. Let’s play this one next.” I pass him Mario Party 8. It’s not the best Mario Party game, but this way I don’t have to break out a bunch of Game Cube controllers.  
“Looks good,” Matthew says.  
“Since there are six of us, we’ll have to be on teams,” I say.  
“I want to play!” I look up to see Ben heading over to us.  
“That’s fine,” I reply. “Mom, do you wanna play too?”  
“Sure,” she says. She comes and sits in the recliner that’s close to the TV.  
“All right. We’ll let the guys pick who they want on their teams.”  
“Dibs on little bro!” Matthew says. Ben sits down near Matthew, and they slap high fives. It’s kind of nice to watch.  
“Raina, would you like to be on my team?” Erik asks.  
“Oh, uh, sure.” I settle down next to Erik, trying not to be too close. I’d been kinda-sorta avoiding him since he got here, but I couldn’t say no to him. Not that I really wanted to. Falling for me? My face goes red, and I look down at my hands while James pairs up with my mom and Sam and Damien become a team.  
“Okay. So, um, game on.”  
We play through a twenty-turn game, Mom and James taking the lead early with Erik and me falling behind. I laugh it off, smiling at Erik. “Did I mention I’m pretty bad at this game?”  
He smiles down at me, and my heart thrills at the sight. “No, I don’t believe you did.”  
“True story,” I reply, looking back at the screen as my little brother steals our only star from us. “Wow, rude!”  
He shrugs. “No talking while we’re playing. That’s what you get.”  
“You can’t just make up rules to justify being mean,” I retort.  
“Winners can do whatever they want.”  
I reach over and tickle him, and he struggles out of my grip. “Winners are also terribly ticklish.”  
As I poke at my little brother, I can hear Erik laughing behind me. I’m both happy and concerned about my reaction to that sound. It soothes me and makes me want to smile, which is not something I should be feeling. I’ve only known him for twoish days. Besides…every man I’ve loved….  
Before we know it, it’s after five, and Mom gets up. “I don’t know if we have enough food here for dinner for everyone.”  
“Shoot,” I say, also getting to my feet. “What do you want to do?”  
She frowns. “I might need you to run to the store for some things.”  
“That’s fine,” I reply. “Give me a list, and I’ll get some stuff.”  
“All right. We can have chili.”  
“Chili mac,” I say immediately.  
“Just chili!” Ben butts in.  
“You can have just chili. I want chili mac.”  
“Whatever,” he replies.  
“You’d better get that word out of your vocabulary really quickly,” Mom says.  
I stick my tongue out at him before turning to look at the guys. “All right, so, who wants to come to the store with me?” I still need one of them around to keep me safe from other demons, and I hate going shopping by myself, anyway. Two birds, one stone.  
“If you don’t mind, miss, I’ll come along,” Erik says.   
“Sure thing,” I say. I don’t mind. But I do. But I don’t. Mom hands me the list and without further ado, I wave to the other guys, telling Ben to keep them company with some more Smash Bros. and then head out.  
Erik and I get in my car, and we drive to the store, listening to my tunes and chatting like last night never happened. To be fair, I’m sure I was the only one who had any kind of startling revelation.   
When we get to the store, Erik and I hop out of my car and head inside. He looks around with a dazed expression on his face. “This is where you get your food from?”  
“Yup.” I swing my reusable bags by their handles as we walk, and I try to remember where everything is. “Chili beans and noodles,” I read from the list.  
Erik looks at the signs over each aisle. “There’s so much reading to do even just to go shopping.”  
“I guess so,” I say. “I’ve never really thought about it.”  
“In the demon world, reading is a privilege. It’s reserved for higher nobles.”  
I stare at him, dumbstruck. “Are you serious?”  
He nods. “It’s not really necessary to daily life.”  
“I can’t even imagine not being able to read. I love words.” I smile to myself. “I’m a giant wordy dork.”   
He laughs. “Is that so?”  
“Yeah.” After a moment, I ask, “So, can you read?”  
“I can.”  
“Does that make you a higher noble?” I dig.  
He’s quiet for a moment before sighing. “I was. All of my brothers, except for Damien, were.”  
“Were?”  
“Well, we’re here now, aren’t we? It’s hard to be a demon noble when living in the human world.”  
“Are you guys here indefinitely?” I ask, grabbing a couple cans of chili beans from the shelf and putting them in my bag.  
He shrugs. “I’m not sure. In the end, I think that’s up to James.”  
“It seems like a lot of things are up to James.” I head down the noodle aisle, frowning. “Damien isn’t a noble?”  
“We all have different mothers and the same father,” Erik says. “Damien’s mother wasn’t noble.”  
“Huh. So, you’re all half-brothers.”  
“Yes.”  
“Like Ben and I.”  
“Hank is his father?”  
“Yeah.” I grab the box of noodles and then we head to the dairy section for some shredded cheese. “I swear, I really hope the kid doesn’t end up like his dad.” I shake my head, sighing.  
“Your stepfather doesn’t seem like the nicest man.”  
“He isn’t,” I state. “But, he doesn’t beat my mom or make her feel worthless or do drugs or anything bad like that. He really does care for her, even if he doesn’t care much for my older brother or me.” I stop walking, my face going red. “Ah, s-sorry. I have a bad habit of talking too much about things like that.”  
“It’s all right, princess,” Erik says. “I like learning more about you. I’d like to know as much as I can about your life and your family.”  
If I hadn’t already been blushing, I certainly would have by now. “Well, catch me off guard. That’s a good way to get me to talk way too much.”  
He smiles. “I don’t think you could ever say too much.”  
I shrug. “You’re the only one. My dad used to tell me when I was younger that if I ever got kidnapped, the kidnapper would return me because I talked his ear off.”  
Erik looks at me for a moment as if not sure whether or not I’m joking. I smile at him, and he returns the smile. “You were a talkative child?”  
I laugh. “That’s an understatement. You couldn’t shut me up.” I smile wistfully. “I was also mostly fearless. I’ve changed a lot since then. I think I miss those days.”  
I grab the last few things on the list while Erik asks me more questions about my childhood. I tell him about the different places I’ve lived and adventures I’ve had. He doesn’t react the way I was afraid he might when I talk about my dad. Despite all of the bad memories there, all of the horrible things he’s left to me, there are good times too.  
“Mom and Dad had joint custody of Roy and I. We stayed with him on the weekends and Mom on weekdays. It was weird, but it worked for a while, until…well, some stuff happened.” I shrug, trying not to think about exactly what “stuff”.  
“Custody.” Erik frowns at the word.  
“It’s like ownership, sort of. Mom was our primary guardian, so she had the most custody. Eventually, she got full custody of my older brother and me, and so my dad slipped his way out of the picture.”  
We stand in line, and I pull the money my mom gave me out of my pocket. Erik picks up a candy bar, frowning at it. “It’s a Butterfinger,” I told him. “It’s really good. Peanut butter and chocolate.”  
“Hm. I think I’ll buy it.”  
“Put it in with my stuff,” I say.  
“Oh, no, princess. I will use my own money.”  
“You have human money?”  
“Watch this,” he says, winking at me. He claps his hands together and then says something in what sounds like Latin. When he opens his hands, there are several dollar bills there.  
“Wow!” I stare, amazed. “How…?”  
He grins. “I’m glad you liked it. I just turned some demon money into its equivalent in human dollars.”  
“I’m impressed.” We buy our things and then head back home, rocking out to music the whole way. Erik seems more or less happy with my choice of tunes, which makes me happy. I have weird taste in music, but it looks like Erik does too.  
When we get back, Ben is nowhere to be found, and my mom is on her iPad again while the guys are arguing over something.   
“No way,” Sam says, crossing his arms. “Not in a million years.”  
“Yes way,” Matthew replies. “I could beat you easily.”  
“What’s going on?” I ask as I set the groceries on the kitchen table and then head back into the living room.   
“Well, miss,” James says, sighing, “Matthew is under the impression that he could beat Sam at this game.” James holds up, of all things, my copy of Pokémon Stadium 2. I stare at it for a long moment, not really understanding.  
“Where did you even get this game?” I ask. I hadn’t even brought it out for the guys to play, and the Nintendo 64 is still put away in the basement.  
“Your little brother showed it to us,” Damien replies, looking a bit tired.  
I shake my head. “Do you guys even know what this is?”   
“Well, no,” Matthew says. “But I bet I could beat Sam at it anyway.”  
“Like I said, no way in hell, pipsqueak.”  
“Pipsqueak!” Matthew cries. “I’m not even the youngest! Why do you always have to treat me like I am?”  
Sam opens his mouth to speak when I clap my hands as loudly as I can. “Okay. That’s way too much of that.” The guys all look at me, surprised. “If you guys want to fight, take it outside. If not, I’ll get the game system for this,” I say, waving the cartridge in the air, “and then we’ll actually see which of you beats the other. Your choice.”  
My words are met with silence, but after a moment, Sam mutters, “Sorry.”  
“Sorry,” Matthew says.  
“This won’t end unless you let them play,” James sighs.  
“I’ll be right back then.” I set the game on top of the TV and head to the basement.  
“That was rather well done, princess,” a voice says from behind me.  
I sigh. “I have two brothers. I’m used to starting fights and ending them.” Erik follows me downstairs, and I’m too tired to try to stop him.   
“Even James couldn’t have ended that so cleanly,” Erik says.  
Shrugging, I grab the N64 and put it in Erik’s hands. “This thing is older than I am, so please be careful with it.”  
“Of course,” he replies, eyeing it skeptically.  
“It’s like a grandpa,” I say, getting two controllers, the power cord, and the A/V hookups. “It deserves respect, and not those funny looks you’re giving it.”  
“My apologies, princess, it’s just…I’ve never seen anything like this.” He sticks his finger into the cartridge flaps, and I laugh.  
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to. That company makes the most durable products. I don’t know how many times that thing has been dropped, but it still works like brand new.”  
“I’m impressed,” Erik replies.  
We take everything upstairs to find the guys all sitting cross-legged in front of the TV in silence. I set up the N64 and put the game in, listening to the familiar cry from Pikachu to announce the game booting up properly.  
I set things up so that Sam and Matthew can pick their Pokémon, explaining the way it works. “You’ll pick six of these guys and they’ll fight each other, one turn after another with certain moves. They have different types, and so do the creatures. I won’t tell you anything else, so figure it out for yourselves.”  
After handing both of them controllers, I look over to see my mom watching with a frown. “Sorry, Mom,” I tell her.  
“It’s okay,” she replies, looking back down at her iPad.  
“I’ll start dinner,” I say, heading into the kitchen. This time, no one follows me. It feels like the first time I’ve been alone in forever. I start cooking the hamburger meat and boiling noodles, occasionally peeking into the living room to watch as Sam and Matthew’s Pokémon trade blows. Neither of them has the upper hand, and I wonder if this really will solve anything.  
I add the beans and meat to the boiled, strained noodles, stirring a little and thinking. The guys all seem to have a pretty good relationship as brothers. But, Erik said Damien wasn’t a noble where the rest of them were. I can’t imagine that didn’t cause any issues for them.  
It’s good that they don’t treat him any differently. I also know that Matthew isn’t the youngest brother, but he must be younger than Sam for him to be treated like that. If I had to guess, I’d say James was the oldest. He just gives off the aura of eldest child. I wonder if that makes him feel entitled like my older brother.   
“Geez,” I mutter to myself. What an awful thing to think about someone else.   
“Mmm. That smells delightful,” Erik whispers right in my ear. I jump, dropping the plastic stirring spoon into the pan and stumbling back against Erik. “Princess!”  
“You scared the crap out of me,” I say, stepping away from him and pressing a hand over my heart. My face is burning red, and my heart is pounding half from fright and half from how close he’d been to me.  
“I’m sorry,” he replies, not looking the least bit sorry. As a matter of fact, he’s smirking at me.  
I shake my head, returning to my chili mac. I stir it a little too vigorously, dropping a few noodles onto the stove top. Stupid Erik.   
“I really am sorry I startled you, princess,” he says. I glare up at him, but he looks sincere this time.  
With a sigh, I say, “It’s okay. I’m easily surprised, and I didn’t even hear you coming.”  
Mom comes into the kitchen then, looking at the two of us. “Everything all right?”  
“Yeah,” I say. I elbow Erik in the ribs. “He just scared me is all.”  
Erik looks at me, surprised for a moment before schooling his expression to one of a casual smile. “It wasn’t exactly hard.”  
“Anyway,” I say, shaking my head, “soup’s on.”  
“I thought we were having chili,” Ben mutters, stepping into the kitchen.  
“You know what ‘soup’s on’ means, shrimp. Dinner’s done.” I fling a noodle at him, and it hits him squarely in the face. “Ha!” I laugh really loudly, covering my mouth at the sound, trying to suppress a sudden fit of giggles.  
“Rude!” Ben says, turning on the sink and washing his face. Before I have time to react, he turns the sprayer on me, hitting me full on with water.  
“Hey!” I say. Erik steps in front of me just then, shielding me from the water. “Erik!” I say, surprised. He smiles down at me as Mom grabs the sprayer from Ben, hosing him down for his efforts.  
Erik steps away from me as the guys all come to see what the fuss is all about. “Um, dinner,” I say to their confused faces. I grab some bowls from the cupboard and put them on the counter. “I’m going to change, since I’m a bit drenched.” I frown at Erik. “I can get you a towel?”  
“I’ll be all right,” he replies, smiling at me.  
With that, I head back to my room, knocking on the door to Mom’s on the way to let my stepdad know dinner is done. After changing my shirt, I grab a towel from the linen closet. When I get out into the main part of the house, everyone is sitting in the living room with their food. Coming up behind Erik, I drop the towel over his head.  
“There,” I say, smiling at him. He takes the towel from his head, looking up at me with a smile of his own. “Dry off.”  
“Thank you,” he replies. He pats the ground next to him, and I hold up a finger.   
“Let me get my food.” I dash back into the kitchen, freezing as I scoop chili mac into my bowl. Wait. Why am I hurrying to sit next to Erik? It’s not like that seat is going anywhere.  
He shielded me from that water without even thinking. And he didn’t treat me weirdly when I’d talked about my dad. He never complained about my music, telling me he enjoyed some of it. He even helped me through my panic yesterday without thinking I was disgusting or needing to be treated like I was made of glass.  
I want to be with him. I want to be near him all the time, to make him laugh and smile and to hear his voice. I want to share these goofy moments with him, more and more of them, to play games on his team, to laugh when we lose and be happy if we win. I….  
I set my bowl on the counter, taking slow, deep breaths. It comes so suddenly, and I’m not prepared for the surge of anxiety rushing through my veins. I head over to the sink, turning on the water so that no one can hear my sniffling as I fight as hard as I can to suppress the sobs that are trying to escape me.  
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around me, and I find Erik holding onto me. He doesn’t say anything, just soothes me with his golden magic. The panic passes, and I step out of his arms, wiping my eyes.  
“Sorry,” I whisper so softly I can barely hear it.  
“Don’t be,” he says. He ruffles my hair, and I bat his hand away, smiling weakly.   
“S-sometimes, there’s just no warning.” I take a deep breath, sighing. After splashing some water in my face, I take another breath. “Okay.” I turn off the water and finish scooping my food into a bowl before following a silent Erik out into the living room.  
The TV shows Matthew as the victor of the Pokémon battle, and he’s fist-pumping in the air. “Take that, scrub!” he says, and I laugh.  
“Where did he learn that word?” I whisper, mostly to myself.  
“Until a few days ago, it was all he would call us when we talked to him,” Erik says, shaking his head. “I was seriously hoping we’d heard the last of it.”  
I smile up at him, and I can clearly see the relief in his face. He settles on the ground, and I turn the TV to something we can watch while finishing up our food. One channel is playing the first Harry Potter movie, so that’s what I leave on. It’s only just starting, so I don’t have to explain much to the guys.  
Settling down next to Erik, I watch as little Harry buys his things in Diagon Alley, my heart a hot mess. Two days. It’s only been two days, and somehow, I’ve convinced myself that I’m in love with the demon sitting beside me. We barely know each other!  
The universe is playing some kind of prank on me. I haven’t figured out if it’s a cruel one or not, but I pray to God that however this turns out, it ends for the better. My heart can’t take much more of getting kicked around.  
After the movie ends, I explain to the guys that there are seven more movies in the series. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. They immediately ask to see the next one, and I laugh. I love these movies, so that’s not a big deal. However, it’s a little after seven, and the second one is pretty long. I look to my mom who nods.  
“Sweet!” I put the next one in and settle down next to Erik again. He scoots a little closer to me, and I feel like my heart will burst from my chest. As the familiar notes to the opening of the movie play, I get to my feet, grabbing everyone’s bowls and taking them to the kitchen to rinse out. I’m grateful that Erik doesn’t follow me this time either. I could use a moment to clear my head.  
After rinsing out the bowls, I come back in to Dobby beating his own head with a lamp. I eye the spot next to Erik for a long moment before giving in and sitting next to him again.   
I can’t keep from glancing over at him every once in a while as the movie plays out. There’s surprise on his face when Dobby drops the cake and frames Harry. When we see the Burrow for the first time, he’s smiling with delight. When the characters see the first victim of the basilisk, he looks on with wide eyes, and when Harry at last defeats the wicked snake and Tom Riddle, he looks relieved.  
Once the movie is over, Mom tells me everyone has to go home. I walk the guys out, careful not to get too close to Erik. “Thanks for coming over to hang out today, guys,” I say on the front steps. “It was really fun.”  
“Let’s do it again tomorrow!” Matthew cheers.  
“Shut up, pipsqueak,” Sam says, hitting him in the back of the head.  
“Hey!” Matthew cries.  
I shake my head, smiling. “Anyway, if you guys want to stay in the basement again, the door is still unlocked. Wait until after midnight though, because my mom won’t go to bed until late. She’ll be up around eight in the morning, so you’ll need to be gone by then.”  
“That sounds all right to me,” James says. “Thank you for your incredible kindness, miss.”  
“No big deal,” I say, smiling. “I don’t mind making new friends, even considering the circumstances.”  
“Well, good night,” James says with the other guys following suit and slinking off into the darkness until it’s just Erik and me.  
“That was certainly an enjoyable time,” he tells me.  
“I’m glad you had fun.” I stretch, yawning hugely. “Tomorrow is school,” I whine, and Erik laughs.  
“Do you not like school, my princess?”  
His princess. “Eh. It’s my last year of high school. I’m just on my way out in my mind.” I shrug. “Anyway, how is that going to work? You have to be near me, but you can’t exactly walk around school like it’s no big deal.”  
“I’ll probably just be around the school until you get out.”  
“That sounds really boring,” I reply.  
“Well, honestly, in places where many humans gather for a long time, the smaller demon count will be low to nonexistent. I’ll come with you tomorrow and be around just to see what the situation is. It’s likely you won’t even need me.”  
“All right,” I say. I yawn again. “Well, I need to get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”  
“Good night, my princess,” he says, taking my hand and kissing it. I jump, my face going red, and he laughs. “You are just too cute when you blush.” With that, he turns and heads out into the night.  
“Good night, Erik!” I call after him before heading inside. I take a long, hot shower and then head to bed, dreaming of demons doing calculus.


	5. It's Complicated

I roll out of bed five minutes before my alarm goes off. By roll, I literally mean, I fell out of bed. “Ow,” I whine, rubbing the back of my head. Jumping to my feet, I smack my alarm clock so it won’t go off in three minutes. After getting ready for school and munching on cereal, I grab a book and read until around seven. At that point, I head outside to find Erik leaning on the stair rail.  
His face lights up when he sees me, and I nearly run back inside the house. “Good morning, princess. You’re looking lovely as usual.”  
“Mm,” I mumble, looking away, my face bright red. “How long have you been waiting here? Someone could have seen you!”  
“Only just now. I heard you at the door.”  
I raise an eyebrow, uncertain if I believe him. Did demons have super-good hearing? “If you say so.” We head to my car, hopping in and I start it up, a particularly catchy tune playing. I sing under my breath the whole way to school, but I know Erik can still hear me fine. Curse him.  
“So, what are you going to do today?” I ask him.  
“I’ll be touring the grounds,” he says nonchalantly. “Keeping my beautiful princess safe.”  
I smile, trying to fight the butterflies as his purple eyes focus in on me. “Much appreciated, good sir.”  
He grins, and my smile gets even bigger. Before I make a total idiot of myself, I wish him goodbye and head inside.  
I slide into my seat in class, resting my head on my desk. My peace doesn’t last long as Anna plops down in the seat beside me. “You okay?” she asks me.  
“Mmph,” I mumble.  
“What happened to you and Erik this weekend?”  
“I drove him home,” I say, shrugging.  
“Who’s Erik?” Synthia, my other best friend, asks, sitting down across from me. Synthia’s a spacey blonde with a black belt. Weird combination, right?  
“A friend of mine,” I reply. “He went to the mall with Anna and me this weekend.”  
“Huh. Cool,” she says, and the bell rings, starting class.  
Mrs. Deadalus, aka the best English teacher ever, asks the class a question that I could have answered in my sleep, but someone beats me to it, raising her hand high and fidgeting in her seat. She answers the question, and I sigh. Mostly right.  
“Very good, Naomi.” Naomi is the goody-two-shoes girl everyone seems to think I am. She always answers questions and is outspoken and really happy most of the time. She hangs out with Suzu, her polar opposite, full of anger and loudness, and Mika, the shoo-in for valedictorian. She’s a lot quieter than her counterparts, but I always liked that about her.  
Her grandfather died recently as well. I didn’t know the man, but she must have been close to him. Even now, she’s still a bit more solemn than usual. I never know what to say in those situations, so for the most part, I’ve just been treating her like normal, with a hello if we pass in a hallway and a friendly smile.  
“Raina.”  
“Ma’am,” I say, looking up at Mrs. Daedalus. Even though I knew she liked me, I guess that doesn’t excuse spacing out.  
“The meaning behind Iago’s betrayal?” She raises an eyebrow at me, and I take a deep breath. English class. My favorite subject. Here goes.

Anna drops her tray down across from me at the lunch table. “I’m so tired. Weekend again, please.”  
I laugh. “It’s only Monday.”  
“I hate Mondays.”  
Synthia settles down next to me. “Me too.”  
“You guys are seriously dragging me down. Let’s talk about something other than Mondays.”  
“Okay,” Anna says. “Tell Synthia about Erik.”  
I shrug. “What do you wanna know?”  
“What does he look like?” Synthia asks. She loves to write, a pastime we have in common, so she occasionally asks me to describe people for practice.  
“Um, he has red hair, like actual red, not ginger. Sparkly, purple eyes. His skin is really pale, and he’s tall. His hair covers one eye, and he’s…ridiculously handsome. He also dresses like a fashion model most of the time,” I say, remembering the color-coordinated vest-shirt-pants combo he was wearing when we first met.  
“Pics?” Anna asks, smiling.  
“No pics. I barely know the guy.”  
“Do you wanna get to know him?” Synthia asks.  
My face goes bright red at the question. “Um, well, I don’t know….”  
“Oh, snap. I know that look. That’s a crushing look.”  
“No, it isn’t,” I reply, shoving a chicken nugget in my mouth.  
“Totally is. You can’t lie to me.”  
“That’s cool. I’ll just lie to myself until it goes away.”  
“Raina.”  
“Look, how often do super-attractive guys fall for the plain, bookish type?”  
“Well—“  
“In real life.”  
Anna sighs. “I think you should at least give it a chance.”  
“I’m not interested in getting my heart shredded anymore, thanks. Besides, broken girls don’t get the perfect guys. We read too many books.”

It’s raining. Of course it is. I don’t even own an umbrella. I stand under the overhang of the roof, wondering where Erik is when I catch a tiny sound amidst the general loudness of high schoolers.  
Mew. It sounds like…a cat. Mew.  
I step out into the rain and get drenched instantly. Slowly but surely, I make my way to the sound to find a kitten mewling helplessly, soaked to the bone. I get down on my knees, reaching out a hand to the little guy.  
“Here, kitty,” I say, crouching low, sticking out a hand and clicking my tongue. The kitten eyes me strangely before hesitantly approaching. It sniffs my hand, and I stroke its head. When it gets close enough, I pick it up just as a voice says, “Princess!”  
I jump, startling the kitten, and it sinks its teeth into my hand. I cry out, but I don’t let the little guy go. I make comforting sounds to it before looking up at a concerned erik. He has an umbrella that he’s holding over us both.  
“Princess, are you all right?” he asks me.  
“Yeah,” I say, petting the kitten. “Just a little wet.” I get to my feet, keeping a good hold on the poor thing. “Can you get my car keys?”  
“Where are they?” he asks.  
“Pocket.” I gesture as best I can to my hip and try not to freak out as he reaches in my pocket and pulls out my keys. “Gonna take this little guy to the animal shelter.”  
Erik unlocked my car and we hopped in. After cranking up the heat in the hopes of drying off a little, I glance over at Erik. “You’re not afraid of animals, are you?”  
He eyes the squirming kitten before shaking his head and reaching for it. I place it in his hands. “Don’t let him go.” I slide out of my sweatshirt, laying it dry-side down on his lap. “I don’t know if that’ll help at all, but you can at least set him down.”  
“How was your day?” I ask him as I drive.  
“Not too bad. There were a few lesser demons poking around, but I took care of them.”  
“I can’t even imagine you fighting anything,” I say.  
Erik laughs. “If we’re lucky, princess, you’ll never have to see it.”  
I park outside the animal shelter, taking the kitten back from Erik. It’s shaking from the cold and wet, so I brush its fur the wrong way to try and warm it up. It’s sprinkling now, so we forgo the umbrella and head inside.  
After explaining everything to the volunteer behind the desk, I hand over the kitten bidding it a sad farewell. “One of these days,” I say to Erik as we leave, “when I have my own place, I’ll adopt one.”  
“Do you like cats princess?”  
“They’re the best. I’m going to get an orange tabby and name him Ichigo.”  
Erik frowns. “Ichigo?”  
“I promise, it’s not as random as you think.” I smile at him as I check my phone. “Mom wants me to get milk. To the grocery store!”  
We cruise on over, rocking out to more tunes of my choice. Right now, it’s video game soundtracks, so it’s all classical and wonderful. When we get to the store, we head straight for the milk, and after picking a good one, we check out. On the way out the door, a voice calls my name.  
“Raina!”  
I pause, turning to see a dark-haired guy coming my way. I know that hair and those dark brown eyes. “Ron,” I say as he approaches. I can’t help but feel envious of the one who inherited our mom’s brown eyes.  
“What’s up?” he asks.  
“Not much,” I reply. “Shopping for Mom.” I hold up the milk. “This is my friend, Erik,” I say, tilting my head toward the fellow in question.  
“Yo,” Ron says.  
“Hello,” Erik replies. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
“Ron is my older brother,” I say. “Most people can’t see the resemblance.”  
Erik frowns. “It’s there, but you have to look closely.”  
“He looks more like our dad.”  
“Speaking of,” Ron says, and I feel a weight sink into the pit of my stomach. No. Not speaking of. Please, don’t. “Dad’s back in town.”  
And just like that, my world shuts off. The milk slips from my hands, but Erik manages to catch it. My mind has gone blank, and all I can feel is the shivering in my body and the flipping of my stomach. Ron is still talking, but I can’t hear a word.  
Dad’s back in town. Dad’s back in town. Dad’s back. Dad…. What a strange word. How is it possible that such a thing can carry so much weight? How is it that that phrase can break me so fast that I don’t even have time to run away?  
“It was nice to meet you, but I do believe, we should leave.” Erik’s voice, and his hand in mine bring me slightly back to reality. I’m trembling, and I know he can feel it. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Come now, Raina. Your mom will be wondering where you are.”  
“Peace,” Ron says. His words barely register as Erik gently pulls me out of the store. We get to my car, and I stumble, falling to my hands and knees. That’s when I start crying.  
“N-no,” I whisper, trying to fight it, but it’s too late. The panic has washed over me, and I can’t control the hideous sobs escaping me. This is the third time in three days. What the heck is wrong with me? It’s never been this bad before.  
Somewhere deep in me, I register the milk being set down. Erik wraps his arms around me, saying “Raina.” His voice is calm and soft, and his saying my name jolts me a little, beginning to pull me out of the darkness. “Princess, it’s okay.” Slowly, slowly, Erik continues to talk to me, and I feel myself being dragged out of the depths of my fears and into the light of the real world again.  
When I have control of myself again, I sit on my backside, pulling my knees into my chest and burying my face. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”  
“Whatever for, my princess?” Erik asks.  
I look up at him, and he brushes some hair from my face. “For…this? For me. I’m disgusting.” I look back down at my knees, burying my face.  
“Princess,” Erik whispers, leaning close and wrapping his arms around me. I gasp, my face going bright red.  
“E-Erik!”  
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I can’t bear to hear you say such things about yourself. You are beautiful and kind, clever and sweet. You are not disgusting.” I shrug as he lets me go, looking into my eyes. “I don’t suppose hearing about your father…?” I nod, and Erik sighs.  
“Thank you for getting me out of there,” I whisper to him. “And for calming me down. I hate…breaking down in front of other people. I don’t like making them uncomfortable with my problems.”  
Erik laughs, but there’s no humor in it. I look up to see him shaking his head, bemused. “Even when you’re suffering, you still think of others first.”  
“Uh, well.” I pause. “It’s not…I mean….” My face turns red, and I look away.  
“No matter how you feel about yourself, nothing you can say will make me doubt how truly wonderful you are, my princess.”  
“I’m a chicken,” I mutter.  
Erik slides his hand under my chin, lifting my head up so I have to face him. “You’re the bravest woman I know.”  
“Mm.” I take a deep breath, unwillingly wriggling out of his grip. I like when Erik touches me. Even when I’m out of my mind with worry and feeling down about myself, I desperately want to believe every word he says. I want him to continue to hold me, to smile at me, and to tell me there’s nothing wrong with me. Or even just to care for me despite that.  
Please, don’t disappear on me. Don’t leave me. But I won’t blame you if you do.  
I slowly get to my feet, brushing myself off. Erik grabs the milk before I can, putting it in the back of my car. We head to the front, and I start it up. The rain has stopped completely now.  
“I’m glad you’re here, Erik.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I feel embarrassed.  
“I’ve enjoyed every second of being in your life,” he says to me, his eyes bright and full of joy. I can almost believe him.  
“Even when I’m a sniveling wreck?” I ask.  
His hand finds mine on the car’s wheel. “Even then, because I know that together, we can pull through those times. I know that you can rely on me and that I’ll be there for you. And I hope that one day, you’ll be able to trust me.”  
“You’re talking like we’ll have some kind of future together,” I say.  
“Would you like one?” I pull into my drive way as he says this, and I almost slam on the brakes.  
“E-Erik!” I say, looking over at him. His face looks dead-serious, and I don’t know what to do or say. “That’s not funny,” I mutter, looking away. If this is another of his flirting games, I’m not playing. And…if he’s serious…I don’t even know….  
I get out of the car, grabbing the milk from the back, as Erik says, “Princess, wait!”  
“Good night, Erik!” I call, dashing into my house. I feel like crying and slapping myself over and over. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just let Erik’s words be his words. I’d been doing so well with his flirting, taking it with a grain of salt. The moment he’d mentioned a future together…I lost it.  
The thought made my insides flip. A future with a demon. No, not a demon. Erik. I want him in my life. I want him by my side, telling me I’m not disgusting, that I’m beautiful and all those sweet words he’d been showering me with. I want to believe that someone can care for me. I want to learn to care for myself.  
At the same time, I know it’s all just a fantasy. Even if he does care for me at all, I’ll forget about him soon. My heart will break once again, and I won’t even remember why.

I get a text after dinner from Matthew that tells me to meet the guys in the backyard. After saying goodnight to my mom, I sneak downstairs and out the back door to find the brothers all sitting in a circle on the grass. It’s a little chilly out, so I’m wearing a sweatshirt from a concert I went to once a few years ago. It’s comfy and old, two things I love.  
“Hey, guys,” I say, coming to stand behind everyone.  
“You can sit down if you’d like, princess,” Erik says, patting the spot beside him.  
I eye it for a moment, trying my hardest not to look at him. “I can’t stay out long. What did you need?”  
“Well,” Matthew says, dragging the word out. “I’ve got all the ingredients for the potion that’ll wipe your memory.”  
“Ah.” I don’t know what to say.  
“It’ll take a while, after I mix them all together, for the ingredients to set right. I think it should be ready by Saturday.”  
I’m silent for a moment before I take a deep breath. “Okay. Um, that’s good, right? You guys can get back to whatever it was you were doing before you met me, right?” I’m saying the word “right” a lot.  
After a long moment, I sigh. “Well, if that’s it….” I turn to go back inside.  
“Princess!” Erik gets to his feet before I can run away. “I need to speak with you.”  
I freeze in place, looking down at my feet in shame. The others disperse as Erik approaches me. When his footsteps stop, I look up at him and cry out, “I’m sorry!” The surprise on his face spurs me on. “I’m sorry I went off on you earlier. You just make me so flustered, and I don’t know how to react. I’m not used to being flirted with or teased or anything like that. I’m the mousy nerd girl.” I take a deep breath, shaking my head. “I was so mean to you.”  
Without thinking, I ram the heels of my palms against the side of my head in anger and frustration at myself twice before Erik catches my wrists. “Princess!” I look at him, the concern on his face making my heart hurt a little.  
“My princess,” he says, gently releasing my wrists. “I should be the one apologizing. I never meant to hurt you with my words. I can’t even fathom why someone as wonderful as you would associate with someone as disgusting as me.”  
“Erik!” I make to reach for him, but I stop short, embarrassed. “You’re not disgusting.”  
He smiles sadly at me. “Thank you, princess. Your words bring me joy.”  
We fall silent for a moment, and I find myself feeling lighter. Maybe it’s because I got to reconcile with Erik. Whatever the reason, I’m really happy.  
“I know it wasn’t by choice,” I say, clasping my hands together, “but I’m really glad you came into my life.”  
His answering smile warms me to my toes, and his hand finds mine, squeezing gently. “As am I, my sweet princess.”  
We stand like that until a yawn escapes me, and Erik chuckles. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.”  
I smile. “Good night, Erik. See you in the morning.”  
“Sweet dreams, my princess.”  
When I crawl into bed, all I can think is that it’s too late to back out now. I might as well make the best of it while he’s here.


	6. I Want to Try

I can tell Erik is having second thoughts as I park my truck. I don’t blame him. The first time I went to this park, it scared me a bit. There’s a creek that runs through the whole thing, and you either have to cross it with your car to get to the other side or park outside and walk over a bridge. For Erik’s peace of mind and mine, I park so we can walk in.  
Our conversation this morning went like this:  
“How do you feel about hiking?”  
“Hiking?” Erik frowns as we pull into the school parking lot.  
“Here’s the deal: I have to pick up my little bro from soccer out in town today, but it’s at 5 and school’s out at 2:30. So, we’ve got time to kill. If you’re up for it, I wanna take you to this park that’s really special to me. Only if you’re okay with hiking.”  
“If you’d like to, princess, we can.”  
“Only if you want to, Erik,” I reply.  
He gives me a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. “Nothing would make me happier than your taking me somewhere that’s special to you.”  
I feel my face burning red, but I’m smiling back at him. “Awesome!”  
And here we are now, at the park. Erik’s wearing shorts and a polo, which is a nice look for him. Everything is a nice look for him. He has…really nice legs. And arms…and everything. I’m so bad.  
We get out of the car, and I look over at him, trying to calm my raging hormones for two seconds. “You sure you wanna do this?”  
He nods. “Of course, princess. It’s beautiful here.”  
I grin. “It is.” We head across the bridge into the park, as I say, “My dad used to take my older brother and me here a lot when we were younger. We went hiking all over the place. This park is huge.” I gesture to the playground we pass on the way to the trails. “That terrifying tire thing?”  
He eyes the tire swing that hangs parallel to the ground. “It looks fun?”  
“I could never stay on the dang thing. Nowadays, I get motion sick.” I shrug. “Growing up sucks.”  
Erik laughs. “In some ways, I suppose. But there are many things adults can do that children cannot.”  
“I’ll take a pass,” I say. “You can drink, smoke, drive…. None of that is particularly appealing to me.”  
“Well, you can also experience true love and passion, get married, and live together with the person you cherish,” he replies.  
“Fair,” I say, smiling. “That all sounds wonderful.” I lead us down a trail, reveling in the green everywhere, the sound of water from the creek, and the joy of sharing it with someone new. Until I walk into a spider web.   
I squeak, jumping and smacking into Erik. “Princess!” He grabs onto my shoulders as I smack the spider web off my face and arms. “What is it?”  
“S-spider web,” I sputter, taking deep breaths. “Sorry. I do not do spiders. At all. Ever.” I shake my head, looking around on the ground for a suitable stick. I find a longer one and start swinging it in front of me. “That’ll work,” I say.  
Erik chuckles. “Resourceful. And, duly noted.”  
“Didn’t mean to bump into you like that,” I say as we continue on.  
“It’s all right, princess.” I look over my shoulder at him, smiling at his words. There’s something about being here that always makes me happy, regardless of webs hanging around.  
We come to a junction, and I take the rougher-looking trail that leads us down to the creek’s shoreline. It’s mostly rocks, but some of it’s sandy, so I make sure to step carefully. I’m not about getting sand in my shoes or on my backside if I fall.  
Erik comes to stand beside me, and we listen to the sound of the creek for a while. “We’d play in this creek, walking across the rocks in the water.” I gesture to the steep embankment on the other side. “There’s more over there too, but it’s not quite developed like this side. We explored all over.”  
“Sounds like you were adventurous,” he says.  
“Before I got scared of everything.” I sigh, shaking my head. “I used to be a lot of things when I was younger. Then, one day, BAM!” I clap my hands together. “Surprise panic attack. They started happening so regularly I couldn’t function. It’s a lot better now, though.” I shrug. “One day, I hope to have it all under control again.” Blinking, I look over at Erik. “Ah, sorry. Sometimes I just talk too much.”  
“Never, princess,” Erik replies. The look in his eyes is so intense that I can’t keep looking at him. Instead, I head back up to the main path, walking on down to a giant pair of rocks that give me an idea that I’m not sure is a good one.  
“See these,” I say to Erik. He nods. “I used to be able to get up there.” I gesture to the top. “I don’t know if I still can.”  
“It doesn’t look very safe, princess,” he says, frowning.  
“I know. My dad wasn’t big on safety. At the same time, I knew he would never let us get hurt while we were out here.” It’s weird to talk about my dad so much, especially since it’s been so long. It makes my heart hurt and yet feel lighter at the same time. I reach for the first ledge on the rock, making to hoist myself up. It takes all of my strength, but eventually I get up there.  
The rock has all these holes in it, and I’m starting to regret my choice, but it’s a bit late now. There’s another ledge of the rock, but I don’t know if I can make it up.  
“Princess,” Erik says, pulling himself up so easily it almost makes me laugh, “this doesn’t seem like a good idea.”  
“I think I need to get up there,” I say to him.  
He looks above us. “For what purpose?”  
“It’s…I need to, Erik. I’ll explain if you help me out.”  
He sighs. “I can deny you nothing, princess.” With that, he gets to his feet, climbing to the top of the rock. He extends a hand down to me, and I take it. He hefts me up in one swift motion, and I squeak yet again as he sets me beside him.  
“Ah. That was…terrifying. You’re really strong.”  
“Perhaps not as strong as Sam, but I am a demon, princess.”  
“True enough. That’s easy to forget for me,” I say, shrugging. “You seem human enough in my eyes.” I hold up my hands, chagrined. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. Sorry. I just…it’s—“  
“It’s quite all right, princess.” Erik sighs. “You may say as much about me, but I can never forget my demon nature.”  
“I’m sorry. I’m just all over the place today. Or every day.”  
“Princess, it’s all right. However you see me in your beautiful eyes is fine with me.”  
I can’t fight the feeling his words bring in me, so instead, I look to distract myself. “I want to get over there.” I gesture to the other giant rock that’s separated by a three-foot gap from this rock.  
“All right,” Erik says, and I’m grateful he’ll work with my subject change. Without missing a beat, he hops over to the other rock, turning to face me. “I’ll catch you.”  
I step to the edge, eyeing the gap. It appears small, but the fall is substantial enough to mess me up, and the ground is uneven below. I look up at Erik who has extended a hand to me. This is it. This is the pivotal point for me. Trust. Erik will catch me. Trust.  
With that, I take the jump, my hand finding Erik’s. He pulls me the rest of the way, holding me close on the other side. I made it, safe and sound. I stand in his embrace for a moment, taking slow, deep breaths. I’m shaking, but I did it.  
“Thanks, Erik,” I mumble into his chest.  
“Princess,” he says into my hair, and a tingle trips down my spine. He smells really nice. “Are you all right?”  
“Mm-hm.” I step away from him, smiling. “I did it.”  
“You did.” He smiles at me, and then looks around. “Well, where to next?”  
“Erik.” I touch his shirt sleeve, drawing his attention back to me. “My dad and my brother and I used to do this. Jumping from the rocks. He was always there to catch us. But, I haven’t done this since he left. Thanks for being the one to catch me this time.”  
Erik takes my hand, pressing it gently to his lips, and my whole body burns at his touch. “If you’d let me, I would catch you and never let you go.”  
My heart is beating so fast, and I don’t know what to do. I take a step back, my foot sliding. Before I even have time to worry about falling, Erik grabs my hands, pulling me back to stable ground. “We should get down,” he says, looking at the rock below us.  
“Right,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “Okay.” I sit down on the rock, scooting over the edge and landing on the ground below. It hurts a little, but I’ll be all right. Erik comes down after me, but his foot slips. This time, I catch him, managing to keep him from falling. “Gotcha,” I say. “You’ll be as bad as me if you’re not careful. Terminally clumsy.” I tap myself on the head, freezing as I realize that was so lame.  
Erik chuckles, but he won’t meet my eyes. “All right. Where to next?”  
I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel like there’s distance between us. What happened? “Um, let’s go up there.” I point at another giant rock, this one not exactly climbable. The options are to walk under it or on top of it, but from where we are, under is the best option.   
We walk on, me doing most of the talking while Erik nods, still not making eye contact. It’s 4:30 when we make it around to the front of the park again. Without a word, we hop in my truck and I drive to my little brother’s soccer practice.  
Once we get there, Erik says, “I think I’ll make myself scarce, princess. I’ll be around.”  
“Oh, okay,” I say to him, even though I really don’t want him to leave. I wish I had the courage to ask him what was wrong. It’s possible that it’s nothing, but I can’t bring myself to ask. Not that I have much of a right to listen to Erik’s problems. I’ve done nothing but talk all day. I don’t even think I asked him a single thing about himself or anything.   
“Man,” I moan, smacking my head against my steering wheel. “I’m awful.” I think back to the feeling of being in his arms and the thrill and fear that had rushed through me at his words…. If you’d let me, I would catch you and never let you go. I think I would let him, which is probably the worst part. Even if he isn’t just flirting for the sake of flirting, he deserves someone much better than me. Someone who isn’t a walking shell of a fully-functioning person.

I can’t sleep. Erik didn’t show up again for the rest of the day, and after playing goalie for my little brother for a little while and failing miserably, I’m sore everywhere. Between the mental and physical exhaustion, I thought I’d be able to sleep no problem. Apparently not.  
Without making a sound, I head downstairs, careful not to wake anyone, and slip outside. It’s chilly tonight, and I kind of wish I had brought a sweatshirt or something. I sit on the edge of the concrete back porch, my bare feet touching the grass. It’s cold, but it feels good.  
I don’t know how long I’m out there before I hear a very welcome sound. “Princess?” Looking up, I see Erik walking toward me from somewhere out in the yard. “What are you doing out here?”  
“Couldn’t sleep,” I say, shrugging. Erik settles down beside me, as I ask, “What about you?”  
“Wanted to clear my head, so I went for a walk,” he replies.  
“Wish I could do that, but it’s kind of creepy out here.”  
He chuckles. “Well, a beautiful young woman like you shouldn’t be wandering around alone at night anyway.” After a moment, he sighs, getting to his feet again. I watch as he walks over to one side of the house, picking something from a plant beside a wall. He walks back over to me, and I can tell in the light from the back porch that it’s a honeysuckle.  
“Can I show you something?” he asks me.  
“Anything,” I say to him.  
“I asked you to give me time a few days ago, and you’ve been all too generous with me. I want to show you a glimpse into my demon life.”  
I stare at him, confused. “Erik….” I don’t know what else to say, so I just nod. “If you’re sure.”  
He closes his eyes, breathing deeply before opening them again and brushing his fingers against the flower’s petals. They begin to glow, and I stare in awe as a hazy screen appears. As it clears, I see a great hall before my eyes. A familiar voice sounds, and I jump as Erik strolls into the picture. Except…he looks very different.  
His face is the same, but he has red horns on his head and markings on his basically naked body. It’s not…a bad look, but he’s very clearly not human here. What kind of idiot am I for ever forgetting, even for a moment? He’s walking arm in arm with a girl with cat ears. They look…really close.  
“My dear kitten,” Erik drawls, his voice dripping with flirtation. I almost flinch. “You truly astound me. Whatever am I to do with you?”  
She giggles, leaning closer to him. “Stop it,” she says, smacking his arm in a flirty way. “You’re making me blush.”  
“Mm. But you’re so much cuter when you blush.”  
“Stop it,” she says, but she doesn’t look like she wants him to stop. She looks like she wants to jump his effing bones. I don’t want to watch this, but I can’t tear my eyes away. Why is he showing me this?   
“You sly incubus.” The cat demon smiles coyly, and my stomach turns. “I’ll get in trouble if I’m caught with you for sure.”  
“I like trouble,” he says, pulling her close. They look like they’re about to kiss when the cat girl pulls away, mewing in cute embarrassment. I might be sick.  
“Such a bad incubus,” she purrs. “I should go.” With that, she turns to leave, but Erik slides his fingers along her tale as she goes, making her jump and giggle. She waggles her fingers at him as she exits.  
As soon as she’s out of sight, Erik’s face goes stone cold. I’ve never seen him look like this before, and I feel my stomach fall to my feet. Erik brushes his hands together to rid them of the fur trapped on them before saying, “Well, Mother? Was that enough to please you?”  
A red orb appears out of nowhere, mist rolling off it slowly. “Very well done, my son. Much better than I expected of you.”  
“Thank you,” the vision-Erik says. “You taught me well.”  
“I did. Never forget to take care of your women. Serving them is your number one priority. You must be as submissive as possible.”  
“Yes, Mother.”  
“Once that cat girl gives you here energy, make sure to get rid of her properly. We don’t need her hanging around when it’s time for you to find another.”  
“Yes, Mother.”  
The vision fades, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I look back over at Erik, surprised to find him looking sad and guilt-ridden.  
“She taught me well,” he says, not looking at me. “What she could, anyway. That persona became habit, and now it’s just natural for me. She taught me to always serve women and make them happy. That was the true incubus way.” I didn’t say anything, so he continued, finally looking at me. “It makes sense, no? If I can make them happy, surely I can convince them to give their energy to me.”  
I understand so much more now. Erik flirts because it’s all he’s known. He flirts to gain trust so he can take energy. It really is smart…and incredibly sad. This is why Erik thinks he’s disgusting. It’s why he’s so closed off all the time. And yet, I feel like in these past couple days, I’ve seen a lot of the real Erik beneath the polished veneer he’s put on.  
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says, sighing.  
“I don’t think you do,” I reply.  
“I’ve been much the same way with you. It would only be right of you to worry that you might be my next victim. You have no way of knowing.”  
I shake my head. “Maybe not, but I don’t think I will be.” He looks at me, his face full of uncertainty. “I don’t know why I think that, but…I’m starting to trust you. And maybe I’ll just get my heart ripped out again, but you make me want to try.” I put a hand to my heart as it starts beating faster and faster.  
Erik laughs, but it’s not a happy sound. It’s more confused than anything else. “I truly don’t even deserve to be sitting beside you. You’re the most amazing woman I have ever met.” He looks up at the sky, but I find myself staring at his sad face.  
Taking a deep breath, I rest my head against his shoulder. He stiffens, but after I don’t move, he relaxes. His hand finds mine, our fingers entwining. We stay like that as I drift off to sleep.


	7. Enthralled, I'm Sure

When I head out to my car in the morning, I’m surprised to see Matthew leaning against it. I have to admit, I’d really been looking forward to seeing Erik again. He must have taken me to my bed last night, and I want to thank him.  
“Good morning,” he says to me, smiling.  
“Morning. How are you?”  
“Good, good. Erik’s not feeling great, so I’m gonna be with you today.”  
“Is he okay?” I ask, suddenly worried.  
“Yeah. He’ll be all right.”  
“I didn’t think demons got sick,” I say, hopping in my car.  
“Well, he’s not ‘sick’, really. He’s…hungry.”  
“Hun…gry. Oh. Um, okay.” My face burns red as we set off. Hungry. That must mean he needs sexual energy. Suddenly, I feel guilty. He must have expended a bit to show me that scene last night. Maybe…. I can’t completely fight the idea that maybe I can help him. I…want to, for more reasons than just the fact that I owe him. Curse my female brain and my hormones and literally everything that could possible make me fall in love with him.  
“He’ll be all right,” Matthew says. “Don’t worry.”  
“Yeah,” I say. “I’ll take your word for it. So, what have you guys been up to while I’ve been at school?”  
“Exploring! We’ve been all over town! The human world is so pretty!”  
“What’s your favorite part so far?” I ask him, smiling at his enthusiasm.  
“Video games!” We both laugh at that.  
“Seriously?”  
“Yeah. Playing at your house the other day was so much fun!”  
“I’m glad,” I say. “Maybe we can play together again before you guys leave.” There. I’ve said it. I’m trying to ignore the pain in my stomach at those words.  
“Yeah, totally. That’d be awesome!”  
Matthew is so easy to talk to. We chat about different kinds of video games and strategies the whole way to school. He accompanies me on the way home too, and when we part ways, I feel pretty happy. It isn’t until I get inside my house that I feel kind of sad. I haven’t seen Erik today. I wonder where he is.  
I spend the rest of the night doing all the things I used to before the demon brothers came into my life, but they all feel a bit lackluster right now. Writing on my computer, reading, watching some anime…nothing feels fun to me. By the time I go to bed that night, it’s almost a relief. Maybe I’ll get to see Erik tomorrow.

I wake up in a cold sweat, tears streaming from my eyes. That dream…I haven’t had a dream like that in so long. I bring my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and rocking myself back and forth. Go away. Go away. Go away. All I can see is my dad’s face, and I have to fight the urge to throw up. Go away!  
There’s a knock at the window, and I jump as it slides open and Erik climbs into the room. “Princess, are you all right?”  
“Erik?” I can barely make him out in the darkness. “Wh…how?”  
“Damien said you’d had a bad dream.” I watch him take a step toward me, but he grunts in pain.  
“Erik!” I get out of bed, turning on the light in my room so I can see him better. He looks really rough, tired and grimacing in pain. “A-are you okay?” I take a step toward him, but he raises a hand.  
“I’m all right, princess. Really,” he grunts, wincing.  
“You don’t look it,” I say. “Erik….”  
“I’m fine. Just a little…tired,” he pants, looking like he’s in a lot of pain.  
“Matthew told me you need energy.”  
“W-well, yes, but I’m fine.” He tries to smile, but it comes out as a grimace.  
“Erik.” My heart is pounding in my chest as I say, “Can I help you?”  
He looks at me, eyes wide. “Oh, no, no really.” He’s blushing now.  
“Let me help you,” I say, taking a step forward. What am I saying? Why? I can’t stop imagining what it would feel like to kiss Erik, to be held by Erik, to be loved by Erik….  
“Princess, you understand what that means, right?”  
My heart skips a beat at the thought. I nod at him. I’m scared, but it’s Erik. Somehow, I’d managed to fall in love with him in only a few days. “I trust you, Erik. I want to help you.”  
He looks at me for a moment more before his eyes turn gold, and he steps toward me. My body grows warm, and as his hands wrap around my waist, he whispers in my ear, “You spoil me, princess.” I shiver in his arms as he gently kisses me.   
It’s not like this is my first kiss or anything…except it is. And it’s incredible. My entire body is alight with sensation as Erik’s kiss gets deeper. He kisses me again and again, and I want him more and more. His tongue brushes against my mouth, and my lips part in surprise. As our tongues dance, his hands slide under the hem of my shirt, resting against my bare skin.  
He relinquishes my mouth to rain kisses down my neck, and I let out a moan that I didn’t know was coming. My knees are weak, and I can feel the energy being drained from my body. It feels wonderful.  
Just when I feel a dizziness encroaching upon me, Erik pulls away quickly. I open my eyes to see him looking at me in surprise. The gold, lustful gaze fades from his eyes. “I-I’m sorry, princess. I got carried away.” He takes a step back from me, but I’m unsteady on my feet. My legs give out, and Erik catches me.  
“I’ve got you,” he whispers, and his eyes burn into mine, making my head spin even more. He sets me gently on the bed, sighing. “I apologize. I should leave now.”  
Before he can do more than take a step, I grab the sleeve of his shirt. “Erik!” He turns to look at me, and I can feel my face burning despite my exhaustion. “Kiss me again?” I whisper, unable to meet his eyes. My face burns at my boldness  
“Raina,” he says, and his voice is deeper than usual. He gently touches my face, and I find myself leaning into his hand. “Was that your first kiss?”  
I open my eyes, looking up at him sleepily. “Yeah,” I say.  
“I’m sorry.” And then Erik leans in and brushes my lips ever so gently with his. It’s so sweet that my heart almost can’t take it. “If you’d like,” he whispers, pulling away, “we can pretend that was your first kiss.” With that, he climbs out of the window again, leaving me to drift into unconsciousness.


	8. Can We Make Time Stop?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things: There's a fair amount of quoting from the "Just Another Day" CD in here, towards the very end, so if that sound familiar, that's why (Michaela Laws knows her boys best, after all). Also, trigger warnings. If you haven't already guessed what happened to Raina, brace yourself. There's fair warning before she tells her story. Other than that, thanks for sticking around!

I wake up feeling weirdly refreshed. I hardly remember falling asleep, but I vividly remember the feel of Erik’s hands and the taste of his mouth. I’m blushing at the thought as I get ready for school. All I can think about is Erik and how much I want to see him again. This feeling is kind of terrifying, but I can’t resist its pull.  
When I step outside, Erik is waiting with a smile on his face. My heart leaps at the sight. He looks much better than he did last night.  
“Good morning,” I say.  
“A good morning to you as well, my princess. I wanted to thank you for last night.”  
“Ah. You’re welcome. I mean…I don’t really know what to say.” I shrug, looking away. “I guess we should head out.” Things more or less go back to normal once we’re in my truck, but I can’t stop thinking about kissing him. Stupid brain.  
I say goodbye when I get to school and head to class. We have group work in English today, and I guess I must have been spacing out because Anna calls me out on it.  
“Earth to space cadet. Where are you?”  
I jump. “Huh? What?”  
“You’ve been out of it all class. What’s going on?”  
If there is anyone I can tell about this, it’s Anna. I take a deep breath before letting it out slowly and saying, “I think I’m in love with Erik.”  
“Aw! Honey! That’s awesome!”  
“Not awesome, Anna. You don’t understand. I’m…scared.”  
She sighs. “Okay. Of what?”  
“This feeling. I just…I don’t know what to do.”  
“Well, you could start by talking to him,” she deadpans.  
“Yeah, right! What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”  
“Okay, look, you’ve only known him for, what, three days?”  
“That’s the worst part!” I cry, shaking my head. “But what else could this be? I thought I’d been in love before, but it didn’t feel like this.”  
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s not something to be afraid of.” Anna gives me a hug, rubbing my back. “Love is a good thing.”  
I shake my head. “Feeling this strongly about someone is terrifying.”  
“I know it might seem rough right now, but from what I can tell, Erik is a good guy. He won’t hurt you. And if he does, I’ll break his face.”  
I laugh at her words, rubbing my eyes. “Yeah. I know you will.” 

I try not to think too hard about what Anna said as I make my way to my next class. That’s probably why I don’t notice everything freeze around me until I actually start feeling cold. I stop in my tracks, looking at all my classmates caught mid-stride.  
Movement catches my eye as a man with blonde hair and blue eyes makes his way toward me. I make to take a step back, but I can’t move. My heart starts pounding in my throat as he approaches. There’s a smirk on his face, but his eyes are dark with malice. If he isn’t a demon, I’m not human.  
He stops right in front of me, leaning in and inhaling deeply next to my neck. “Mmm. So, this is what a human who sees demons smells like.” He licks his lips. “Delicious.” I can’t move, can’t do anything other cringe on the inside as he drags a finger from my collarbone to my chin, taking it in his hands and forcing me to look directly into his cold eyes.  
“It’s a pleasure, Raina. My name is Favian. I’d stay and chat, but my magic won’t last long with your incubi friends hammering away at it. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be back soon for you.” Favian taps the tip of my nose before waving goodbye and disappearing into a purple pentagon on the floor.  
Time snaps back into motion, and I collapse to the ground, my knees giving out on me. What the hell what the hell what the hell?!  
“Raina?” Somebody is shaking me, but I can’t move. “Raina!” Two people help me to my feet, and I see Anna and our friend Steven. “Let’s get her to the nurse.”  
“Right.” The two of them half-carry, half-drag me to the nurse, and they get me to lay down. I can’t feel the bed beneath me, but I can feel bile rising in my throat. I gag, and suddenly there’s a trash can in front of me that I proceed to retch into. I barely register a buzzing sound from my bookbag. Anna pulls out my cellphone, looking at the caller before answering.  
“Hello? Yeah. I don’t know. I just found her on the ground. I think she’s in shock. You can try, but she’s not responding right now.” She looks at me, holding the phone out. “It’s Erik.”  
My hand closes around my phone, and I slowly bring it to my ear.  
“Princess!”  
Suddenly, my world snaps back into place. I start breathing fast, processing everything that just happened to me. “Erik,” I breathe, biting my tongue hard to try and suppress the tears that are threatening to spill over.  
“What happened?” he asks, sounding really agitated.  
“I-I’m not sure. I’ll tell you later,” I sputter.  
“I’m coming to get you.”  
“Erik, I’m fine. I’m going to finish out the school day, and then I’ll tell you everything.”  
“Princess…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”  
“If I go home now, my mom will know. I don’t want her to worry. I’m okay. I promise.”  
There’s silence on the other end of the line, but finally, Erik grunts. “All right. But come to your car as soon as class is over.”  
“I will. Thank you, Erik, for letting me do this. I’ll see you soon.”  
We hang up, and I look up at Anna and Steven. “I’ll be okay.”  
“What happened?” Anna asks.  
“Panic attack,” I lie, feeling bad, but there’s no way Anna will even believe the real story. Besides, I don’t want people to worry. This is the easiest means to that end.  
“You’re okay now?” Steven asks.  
“Mm-hm. Thank you.” Steven’s a good guy, and I’m grateful to him for helping Anna get me here.   
The nurse lets me go back to class, and I make it through the rest of the day somehow. When I step out of school at the end of the day, I see Erik leaning against a wall outside. I head over to him, and the moment he sees me, he dashes over, pulling me into his arms.  
“E-Erik!” I gasp.  
“Princess.” He releases me, looking into my eyes. “You’re not hurt?”  
“I told you, I’m fine.”  
“He almost tore down the school to get to you,” James says, approaching us, his brothers in tow.  
I step back from Erik, sighing. “This isn’t the place to explain what happened. Let’s go to T’s.” I drive everyone there, Sam sitting in the very back of my truck. When we get there and sit down, I sigh.  
“So, what happened?” Erik asks. “I felt everything grow cold, and I couldn’t get into your school. It was as though there was a magical barrier around it.”  
“There might have been,” I reply. I explain to them about Favian and how time stopped. I leave out the parts where he touched me, but I tell them what he said.  
“Favian,” Matthew says. “Do we know anyone with that name?”  
“It might be a human alias he picked up in this world,” James replies, shaking his head.  
“What do we do now?” Sam asks. “We gotta keep her safe since it’s our fault she’s in this mess.”  
“Well, we can come to school with her tomorrow,” James says. “Put up a perimeter around the building. If anything is to go wrong, we can be there in an instant.”  
“Erik was there today, and he couldn’t do anything,” Sam retorts. I look over at Erik, but he’s staring down at the table. I take his hand, trying to comfort him. He gives me a half-hearted smile before looking at his brothers.  
“We know what we’re up against now,” Damien says. “We’ll look after her.”  
“She’s holding up pretty well,” Matthew remarks.  
I shrug. “I don’t have a lot of time to be freaked out, do I? If someone is coming after me, I have to prepare myself.” I sigh. “Besides, he didn’t hurt me, today.” I don’t really know why I’m not freaking out. Maybe it’s because I trust the guys. They won’t let me get hurt.  
We talk tactics for a little while longer before I leave to go get my little brother. As I’m heading to my car, Erik takes me by the hand, whispering in my ear, “I have something I need to tell you, tonight. I’ll come to your room when everyone is asleep.” He steps away and pretends like he didn’t say a word, but my head is spinning. What does he want to talk about?

I sit up in my room, waiting for Erik. I’d changed into a matching pj set for once, something comfy and cute, unsure of what I’m trying to do. Erik has seen me in my ratty tank top and shorts that I usually wear to bed. What’s new? I’m hoping that if he has bad news for me, the comfiness will make me feel better.  
In the pit of my stomach, I’m convinced he knows how I feel and that he’s come to reject me.  
The knock on my window makes me jump, as usual. The pane slides up, and Erik climbs in. “Despite knowing it’s you, that always scares me,” I say to him.  
“My apologies, princess.” He gives me a smile, but it looks…sad?  
“What’s up?” I ask.  
“I wanted to apologize for not protecting you today. Damien told me the things you didn’t tell us today. About how Favian touched you.”  
Damn Damien. “Erik, it’s fine. I’m fine.”  
He sighs. “You really are an incredibly brave woman.”  
“Not really.”  
“Princess, you were faced with a demon today who threatened you and promised to come back. This entire week, you’ve been surrounded by demons! Not once did you fear us, not even when we first met.”  
I shrug. “You guys don’t scare me.”  
“Precisely,” Erik says. “You’re such an incredible woman. You’ve let us stay in your home, fed us, spent time with us, and you even helped me while asking for nothing in return. My brothers are grateful for your kindness as am I. I can’t help but be astounded by your beautiful mind and brilliantly golden heart.” He chuckles. “How strange. You make confession seem so easy by doing nothing but listening.”  
“Confession?” I stare at him, dumbfounded.  
“Princess, isn’t it obvious how I feel about you? I may be an ‘obnoxious flirt’ as James puts it, but I am always honest with the compliments I give, especially to you. You are indeed a very beautiful and wonderful woman, deserving of the moon and stars. You deserve every ounce of happiness life can give you, and I would gladly be the one to obtain that happiness for you if you ever ask it of me.”  
I take a step back from him, pressing a hand to my heart. “Erik.”  
“It’s all right, princess. I can understand being uncertain when a demon confesses to you. Demons aren’t gentle in this like humans are. We aren’t afraid to pull you close to us and make you weak in the knees just by using our voices. We can enthrall you and make you ask for our kiss, our touch, our love and, when we give it to you, we would practically drown you in those feelings without mercy. We would pamper you and spoil you like a princess, yet we could also make you a slave to your passions and desires. Our passion and love can burn hotter than any flame and burn through anything without giving you a moment to breathe. Over and over, you would be overcome with both love and lust, and we would be the ones to control your every heartbeat.” He sighs. “However you desire it, I would wait for you, princess.”  
“Erik, you don’t understand,” I say. “I….” I press a hand to my mouth, swallowing hard. “Your being a demon…the things you could do to me…I can’t imagine you would ever hurt me. Ever. I….” I look down at the ground, knowing what I should do but not wanting to do it. “Erik, can I tell you a story?”  
He looks confused, but he nods. I take his hands, leading him over to my bed and sitting him down. I sit beside him, sighing. “It’s not a happy story. If it looks like I’m going to stop telling it, you have to urge me on, okay?” I look up into his eyes that are so beautiful and full of concern. “Promise me?”  
“I promise, princess.”  
I squeeze his hand tightly as I begin, fighting down the nausea in my stomach. There are only three people in my life I’ve told this to…. “There once was this little girl. She was eight years old and full of life. You couldn’t get her to shut up, and she fought with her older brother all the time. Her parents weren’t together anymore, which made her really sad. She used to talk about them getting back together a lot.” I shudder, and Erik squeezes my hand.  
“She…loved her family very much. And, she thought they loved her. But, you see, her dad….” I swallow, looking down at our joined hands. “Her dad tried to love her in a different way. In a wrong way. He molested her, time and time again. He touched her all over, kissed her all over…. He never…had sex with her, at least.”  
I try to pull my hand from Erik’s, but he won’t let me. That’s probably a good thing because I think I’d been trying to run. “It was two years until she told her mom what was going on. Her mom took her dad to court, but…apparently, there wasn’t enough evidence. The girl was told ‘he didn’t do enough’ to her. What did they know?” My voice broke on that question, and I bit my lip.  
“After that, he disappeared like smoke, never trying to come back into her life. Into my life. I tried to convince myself it was better this way, that I never wanted to see him again. He’s been gone for eight years, but now he’s back, and if I see him again, I don’t know what I’ll do.”  
I look up at Erik, smiling sadly through tears that begin to fall down my face. “I like you, Erik. My heart has been breaking from this, every single day. But, I can’t. I’m not even sure I can feel this. I’ve been broken and hurt by someone I should have trusted implicitly. And it’s hard…hard for me to trust anyone. I don’t know what kind of damage he did to me…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be intimate with anyone or anything like that. You…deserve someone better. Someone you know is whole.”  
When I finish, I feel like I’m completely naked before him. All my pain, all my suffering and doubts, all my heart is before him. Now, all that’s left is for him to leave like every other man in my life.  
To my surprise, Erik pulls me into his arms, burying his face in my hair. “Princess,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”  
“Erik,” I mumble, one of my hands fisting itself in his shirt. I can’t seem to make it let go.  
Erik tilts back my head, running a finger under each eye to brush away my tears. “You’ve been hurt, so much, princess. I could never imagine what you’ve been through. However, I can assure you, that makes you no less perfect in my eyes.”  
“Perfect? Erik, I’m—“  
“I know what you think you are. How you see yourself. But, I promise, I’ve never seen you that way. I still don’t. I care for you, princess. And that’s not going to change because you’ve been hurt. If anything, I only think you’re more incredible than before. You’re here, now, in front of me. You’ve been smiling and laughing and being so brave, despite everything that has happened to you. If I could even share in any of your world, I would give my very life.”  
“Erik,” I whisper, tears blinding me once again. “Erik.”   
“Raina,” he murmurs, brushing my hair out of my face. “I’ve told you already that I want to be with you. I will say it as many times as you need to hear and more, every moment of every day if necessary. If you’ll have me, I will do everything in my power to make you feel cherished and cared for. I can’t erase what your father did to you, but I can make sure you never feel that way ever again.”  
“Erik!” He stares at me, surprised. “Erik, stop. My heart. I can’t take this feeling.” I laugh. Of all things, I’m laughing. “Erik, you idiot.” I smile at him, wiping my own tears and sniffling horribly. “I believe you. I believe every word, you giant dork.”  
He smiles, relieved. “I’m glad, my princess.”  
“Erik, I like you. If this emotion, this happiness I’m feeling…if I don’t deserve it, I don’t care. I want to be with you. More than anything.”  
“Princess.” He pulls me close, holding me in his arms as I bury my face in his chest. “I’m so very glad.” With incredible gentleness, he tilts my face toward his, slowly, slowly leaning in to kiss me. His lips are so warm against mine. Even if he leaves me, it’ll be okay. My heart will have known this overwhelming happiness, and that’s all that matters.  
He pulls away, looking into my eyes, and I feel like I’ll burst from the feelings shown in his. “Erik…is it okay…to ask you to kiss me again?”  
“Princess, you can have as many kisses as you could ever want,” he replies, kissing me once more.  
We stay like that, my face against his chest, his arms around me, for a long time. When I start feeling sleepy, I say, “Erik? Will you…stay with me tonight?”  
He smiles down at me. “Of course, my princess.” His princess. If I died right now, it would be okay. I know what it feels like to be truly cared for by this man, and that’s all that matters.   
The two of us climb under my covers, and Erik holds me close, kissing the top of my head. “Good night, Erik,” I say.  
“Good night, my princess. Sweet dreams.”


	9. Does He Mean It?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another trigger warning moment, just FYI. In case it wasn't obvious, Favian is a bad dude who has no problems with controlling people and doesn't feel like he needs consent. Brace yourself.

I smack my alarm to shut it off, rolling over into something. A pair of arms wind around me, and I look up into Erik’s sleepy face.  
“Good morning, princess,” he says, yawning.  
“Erik.” I tuck my head into his chest. “You’re still here.”  
He chuckles. “I told you I’d stay,” he says, kissing my head.  
His words make my heart almost overwhelmingly happy, and I nod, not wanting this moment to end.  
My phone’s alarm goes off, my second defense against oversleeping, and I groan. “Come now, my dear. Today is a new day.” Every time Erik calls me some new endearment, I’m just going to die from happiness. He pushes me gently away from him with a smile.  
“Bleh.” I roll out of bed wishing I could go right back to sleep.   
“I’ll meet you outside,” Erik says, heading toward the window.  
“See you in a few,” I say, stretching. He smiles as he hops out, and I get dressed, begging my brain not to think about anything. Maybe Favian won’t come back today. He didn’t say when, right? Something in my stomach is less optimistic.  
I eyeball my breakfast for a long time before managing a few bites. As the time rolls around for me to leave, I take steeling breaths. Time to be brave.   
The moment I step outside, my legs give out, and I fall to the ground. Erik is beside me in seconds. “Princess!”  
I look up into his beautiful purple eyes and laugh weakly. “I guess I’m more afraid than I thought.” Tears begin streaming down my face, and Erik pulls me close as I suppress any sobs that try to escape. When I have myself together, I push back from him, smiling.  
“Okay. Let’s do this.”  
Erik touches my face gently with his hand, nodding. “Before we go, princess, there’s something I need to tell you.” I wait for him to continue, and he says, “My true name.”  
“True name?”  
“My true name isn’t Erik. It’s Uzaeris.”  
Something about that name sends shivers down my spine. “Uzaeris,” I say, trying it out in my mouth. It feels…I can’t explain it, but it’s not a bad feeling.  
“If ever you need me, if you’re ever in danger, call my name, and I’ll be by your side.” His face is all seriousness as he implores me to understand.  
I’d read a lot of stories where true names had power. I guess there’s truth to that. I nod. “All right, Erik. I promise, if I’m in danger, I’ll call for you.”  
He kisses my cheek. “Good luck, my princess.”

I’m jumping at every sound, looking over my shoulder, and flinching at everything today. Anna and Synthia definitely notice, but they don’t say anything for which I’m grateful. There’s nothing I can explain to them anyhow.  
After lunch, I walk with my friends into our last class of the day. As I step through the door, the classroom changes. I blink my eyes a few times to process what I’m seeing before me: the room is huge, cavernous almost, a raised dais in the center with a multitude of stairs leading up to the top. On the walls are sconces with torches casting eerie, flickering shadows along the dark walls.  
Before I even have time to think, a hand covers my mouth, another grabbing my arm and wrenching it behind my back. “Did you miss me, Raina?” a voice hisses in my ear. I can’t move, and my heart is pounding so loudly it echoes in my ears. After a moment, I try to bite the hand over my mouth. That earns me a chuckle that send shivers down my spine.  
“Move.” I’m pushed forward, and I can’t stop my feet from complying. My body is being controlled by the demon behind me. “We’re going to have fun, Raina. Somewhere those fuckboys of yours can’t find you. It’ll be great.”  
I can’t think; my mind is nothing but panic, but Favian’s enthrallment prevents me from even having an attack. As he marches me up to the top of the dais, my brain is working overtime, picturing all of the horrible things that could happen. Despite my fervent protests inside my head, I can’t stop the awful thoughts.  
When we reach the top, Favian turns me to face him, smiling. His blue eyes are like chunks of ice. “Come now, pet. Smile for me.”  
One side of my face quirks up, but the other won’t move. It’s all I can do to focus on not smiling. He narrows his eyes at me, smacking me in the face. The pain shocks me, and then I’m smiling. “Better.”  
He leans in to kiss me, and I can’t move, can’t resist. Suddenly, from my lungs bursts one word: “Uzaeris!”  
There’s a flash behind me, and I see a sneer form on Favian’s face. “Bitch,” he mutters, holding me at his side. I look down to see Erik standing at the base of the dais. There’s murder in his usually docile eyes. He mutters something under his breath and then his brothers all appear, one-by-one.  
I wish I could call out to him, let him know I’m happy to see him, that I’m okay, but Favian has redoubled his enthrallment since my little outburst.  
“Welcome, demon brothers, to my delightful show! You’ll have the exclusive viewing pleasure of watching me fuck this delicious-smelling human.” He drags his nose along my neck, inhaling deeply.  
I feel tears prick at the corner of my eyes as bile builds up in my throat. So many thoughts, so many memories triggered at one moment that I think I’ll explode. That would be better than this.  
“Let her go,” Erik growls. His voice is low and dangerous. The sound would frighten me if I could be any more terrified.  
“You know, I don’t think I will. And if you get too close, I might just have to snap this pretty little neck.” His hands slide up my arms and wrap around my neck.  
Erik freezes, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. “Don’t hurt her.”  
“Since when have I ever let you tell me what to do, you little shit. All hail the top incubus. You think you’re so good being able to please whoever and whatever comes your way. I bet your precious mommy never taught you what to do when you actually give a shit about someone. Let me give you a hint.” Favian presses his lips against my neck, and I gasp, trying so hard to be brave. Erik. I’m okay. It’ll be okay. Erik. Erik. Erik.  
“Favian!” Erik shouts. He takes a step forward, but Favian’s too busy tormenting me to notice.  
“You suffer!” he screams at Erik. “When you start to really develop feelings for anyone, you suffer. And I hope you’re suffering to hell and back. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”  
Favian turns me to face him, licking his lips. “Shall we put on a show, pet?” I can’t resist him. I can’t. As his hands slide under my shirt, touching my skin roughly, he sinks his teeth into my neck. I have to bite back a scream as every part of me cries at this violation. His enthrallment isn’t for me to enjoy him; it’s to trap me in my own mind, my own body, while he violates every inch of me.   
When one of his hands grabs my butt and the other brushes the bottom of my breast, my brain cries out in agony, and some part of me snaps. Suddenly, I can move again. I smash my head against his, and he staggers backward, eyes wide in surprise. I knee him in the groin, causing him to double over in pain.  
I lose my balance as I take a step back, and I fall from the dais. Before I even have time to react, I’m in someone’s arms. I look up into Erik’s face, and so many feelings race through me that I can’t even process them.  
“I’ve got you,” he whispers to me, setting me on the ground. He looks over at Damien who rushes to my side.  
“Don’t worry,” Damien says as Erik gets to his feet, his eyes trained on Favian. “Everything will be okay now. Erik will take care of this.”  
I nod at Damien, but my eyes won’t leave Erik. He’s glowing purple, and suddenly, tentacles appear around him.   
“You’re going to fight me?” Favian has regained himself, and he’s glaring pure hatred at Erik. “Pretty boy man-whore is here to protect his little bitch. Come at me, then!”  
Erik’s glare never falters, his face frozen in that angry expression. “As you wish.” Erik runs and jumps to the top of the dais, his tentacles lashing out at Favian who deflects with red magic. The two clash time and again, Favian looking more and more tired each moment. Erik eventually knocks Favian to the ground, and I watch as he stands over the blonde demon.  
“You dared to hurt my princess. Did you really think you would get away with it? Thanks to her, I can use the full extent of my powers. Too bad for you.”  
“You think you can hurt me? You’re like a walking sex-toy. How many women did you have on their backs back home, hm? Tens? Hundreds?” Favian gets to his feet, brushing himself off. “Better at fucking than fighting.”  
I want to hurt him, to do something, but Damien holds me back. “Don’t worry. He’s been called worse.”  
Is that supposed to make me feel better? I think.  
Damien chuckles. “It’ll be all right.”  
Erik raises one hand, flicking his wrist. A tiny cut appears on Favian’s face.  
“What the--?”  
With another flick, yet another cut appears, this one on his chest. Erik keeps assaulting him, one cut after another marring his once-handsome features. Favian springs on Erik who sidesteps easily. However, the blonde demon turns mid-jump to sucker punch Erik in the gut. He staggers back, and I fight against Damien again, wondering how I still have the strength.  
Suddenly, the air changes. It feels charged and cold, and at first I’m worried Favian has frozen time again. When black and purple and red crackles through the air, bouncing off of Erik, I know it’s different this time. Erik is calling upon his own magic.  
“You leave me no choice but to rid this world of you once and for all.” Erik’s eyes begin to glow gold as he takes a step toward Favian. “Let’s end this.”  
Damien’s hands slide over my eyes, and at first I try to pull away, but he holds me close. “Please. Don’t look.” Suddenly, the air is filled with ripping sounds and agonized screams. Maybe it’s better that I can’t see. If only I couldn’t hear either.  
“Erik, enough!” James’ voice echoes in the huge room, and the sounds of ripping stop almost immediately.  
“I just had to be sure he was dead,” Erik says as footsteps approach us.   
“Well, you’ve gone and lost your glamour spell too, Erik,” Sam says.  
Glamour spell?  
“It’s a spell that makes us look human,” Damien says. That explains a lot. That vision Erik showed me really was him in demon form as opposed to what I’d been seeing every day.  
“Here, Erik,” Matthew says, and I hear the sound of a cork being pushed out of a bottle.  
“Thank you.” After a moment, there’s a light, and then Damien’s hands fall from my eyes. Before me stands Erik, looking the same as he always did, running a hand through his copper-pink hair.  
His eyes fall on me, and I feel relief rush through my body. That isn’t the only thing, though. I jerk away from Damien who immediately holds my hair as I throw up everything I’ve eaten today in one huge motion. My body starts to tremble, and my stomach lurches a few more times, but there’s nothing left to throw up.  
When I’m sure I’m done, I sit back on my heels, my head feeling heavy. Everything hurts, and there are so many things I want to say, want to ask, want to thank everyone for. Before I can do anything, I slip into unconsciousness. The last thing I know is a pair of arms catching me before I can hit the cold ground.

I come to feeling groggy. My mouth tastes disgusting and my head hurts. There’s a rustling noise beside me, and I see Erik sitting next to my bed, staring at his hands. I sit up, and he looks at me, exhaustion clear on his face.  
“Erik.” I reach a hand out, touching his cheek with my fingers. He sighs at my touch, and I pull my hand away. “Are you okay?”  
He chuckles, smiling sadly. “You would ask that, wouldn’t you? After everything you’ve been through.” He lets out a breath, shaking his head. “I’m fine, princess. What about you?”  
“Better,” I say. “What happened? I remember….” I shudder, and Erik settles onto the bed beside me, taking one of my hands in both of his.  
“You passed out,” Erik says, “and we took you home. James took care of enthralling your family so that they won’t worry about you.”  
I nod, looking at the clock. It’s 10:30 PM. I’d spent the whole day out of it. What a waste.  
“I’m sorry, princess.” I look up at Erik’s words, confused. “I didn’t get to you before that man put his hands on you.” Erik looks up at me, his expression pained.  
“Erik, it’s okay. You came for me.”  
“Always.” He sighs. “None of this would have happened if we’d never come.  
“Yeah, but then we wouldn’t have met,” I say. “I’ll take what happened today because it meant I got to be close to you.”  
He smiles at me, leaning in and kissing me gently. “I really don’t deserve you, princess.”  
“More than I deserve you,” I reply, smiling slightly. He shakes his head, yawning. “You should sleep,” I tell him.  
“I suppose so,” he says, smiling at me.   
“Tomorrow’s Saturday. Yay, weekend.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I remember. Tomorrow is the day Matthew’s potion will be done. Tomorrow is the day I’ll forget about everything.  
“I…um. I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” I say, getting to my feet.  
“All right,” Erik replies, watching me leave the room. I immediately run downstairs and out the back door, trying to focus on breathing. This week went by too fast. I’d known tomorrow was coming, and despite that, I got way too involved anyway. How could I have thought I’d be okay?  
I sit in the grass, my stomach churning. Maybe I’m all cried out because I can’t even shed a tear about it. I don’t know how long I’m out here before a voice calls my name.  
“Raina?”  
I look up to see Matthew staring down at me, concerned. “Hi,” I mumble.  
“You all right?” He sits down beside me, and I sigh.  
“I’m….” I shake my head. “I’m going to miss you guys.”  
Matthew doesn’t say anything for a while, so we just sit in silence until he does speak. “You know, I was so worried you’d be really mad at me for bumping into you and making you get stuck with us.” He shakes his head. “But you never said a word.”  
“I mean, I was freaked out at first but not mad.” I shrug. “It’s been mostly fun having you guys in my life.”  
Matthew smiles at me, his blue eyes twinkling. “It’s been a blast! All except for the whole kidnapping thing.”  
I laugh, trying not to think about it. I might shower later. Scrub my skin off or something. “I know it hasn’t been long, but it just feels like I’ve got a bunch of new brothers. New friends.”  
“Totally!” He grins hugely at me, and I can’t help but smile too. “What do you think about…us staying?”  
I blink in surprise. “What do you mean?”  
“I made the potion that will make you forget us, but…I made another one too. It’ll make your scent go back to normal, and you won’t be able to see lesser demons anymore. That way, we can stay, and you won’t need to forget us!”  
“Matthew! That would be amazing!” My heart soars at the idea. “But what does everyone else think?”  
“No one knows about my other potion, but everybody likes you. None of us really wants you to forget us. We all want you in our lives.”  
I nod, barely daring to believe it could be true. “But I don’t want to tie you all down. And Erik….” I look down, sighing.  
“Let me show you something.” Matthew closes his eyes, cupping his hands together. There’s a flash of light, and then he holds out a small stuffed squirrel with red eyes and fluffy white fur. “Aaah!” Matthew drops it, but I catch it before it hits the ground. “That wasn’t supposed to look like that,” he says, gesturing to the doll. It has a little knife in its hand that reminds me of a tonberry from my favorite video game series.  
“It’s kind of cute,” I say, smiling down at it.   
“It looks like it’s possessed by a demon!” I raise an eyebrow at him, and he shrugs. “Anyway.” He taps it on the nose and a voice comes out. It sounds like Matthew.  
“Come on, Erik. Even Sam can tell you like her, and he’s really dense.”  
“It doesn’t matter how I feel about her.” That sounds like Erik.  
“Why not?” Matthew asks. “Why does everyone else matter but you?”  
“I’m not having this discussion with you again. I will not put myself before the rest of you.”  
“But Erik, you want to be with her!”  
“I do!” This was the second time I’d heard Erik raise his voice, and it surprises me. “I care for her with all of my being, Matthew.”  
“Then why can’t we stay?” The question is met with silence, and after a while, there’s a little click and Matthew sighs.  
“Erik’s mom was always with him, forcing him to be submissive and self-sacrificing,” the real Matthew at my side says. “After being forced to act that way for so long, it’s all he knows. If he thinks he’s being selfish, even if it’s something that will make him happier than he’s ever been, like being with you, he’ll give it up if he thinks it’ll be best for everyone.”  
“Sounds like me,” I say, looking down at the stuffed animal in my hands. “Matthew, does he mean it?”  
“Mean what?”  
“Does he really care for me that much?”  
Matthew smiles softly. “I’ve never seen him like this before. I think he cares for you more than even he understands.”  
I stroke the squirrel’s face, sighing. “It’s all so surreal.” Smiling, I hug the little doll. “Can I keep him?” I ask Matthew?  
“If you want,” he says, eyeing the squirrel suspiciously. “What do you want to do about tomorrow?”

Erik is sleeping when I come back into my room after a long shower. I walk over to him, running a hand through his hair. He looks up at me with sleepy eyes, and I kiss his forehead. He blushes a little, making me smile.  
“Come on, Erik.” I hold out my hand, and he takes it as I pull him into my bed. We lay there together, holding on as though our lives depend on it.


	10. Erik

Erik:  
I watched her face fall as she said “tomorrow”. I knew exactly what she was thinking, and it tore my heart in two. As much as I wanted to stop her, when she said she had to use the restroom, I let her go. After a minute or so, I followed her.  
I had a feeling she’d be on the back porch, and I wasn’t wrong. She was sitting on the grass, trembling. I wanted to go to her, but I didn’t know what to say. She already knew that I cared for her. Those words convey so much and yet so little. I don’t have the words to express how much I want to be with her. Even if I did, I don’t have the right.  
I’d run through scenario after scenario in my head, trying to figure out what I could have done differently, what would have hurt her the least. If I hadn’t confessed to her, if I hadn’t gotten close to her, if I hadn’t met her. That thought hurts most of all. The worst is that she won’t even remember me.  
I took a breath, ready to at least try when movement caught my eye. Matthew was standing to one side, holding out a hand to stop me. He put his finger to his lips and then slowly approached Raina.  
“Raina?”  
She looked up at him in surprise as he asked her if she was okay. “I’m…I’m going to miss you guys.”  
I listened to them talk for a little bit, and I was shocked when Matthew made her laugh. This woman was beyond incredible. Despite how she was feeling, she could still laugh. She was strong, and because of that, she would make it through this. And when she did, she would come out even more beautiful than before. If only I could be there to see it happen.  
I went back up to her room, looking around. There were so many things I didn’t understand in this room. Posters of characters I didn’t know adorned the walls. Her dresser was covered in this and that to the point where the top couldn’t even be seen. There was a bookshelf laden with all sorts of titles and a shelf dedicated entirely to stuffed bunny rabbits. All of these things made up part of who she was, and I would never get the chance to find out why or how.   
With a sigh, I picked up a book, flipping it open. It was a photo album, and the first page said “My family”. I recognized most of the faces, her two brothers, her mother and stepfather, and herself of course. She was smiling hugely, arms linked between Ben and Roy, and I sighed, flipping the page. Pictures of her friends adorned the pages, pictures of events in her life, one of her and her friends in gorgeous dresses with the heading “Junior Prom”. On the very last page were two pictures that made my heart stop.  
The first was of a book lying open. The second was of a wedding dress. The heading for this page was “To the Future.” I closed the album, setting it back where I found it before settling into the chair beside her bed once more. She would look absolutely stunning in that dress, as she walked down the aisle to marry someone else.  
…  
I felt something touch my head, and I woke slowly. I looked up to see my princess standing before me. She kissed my forehead, startling me and making me blush.  
“Come on,” she said to me, taking my hands. We climbed into her bed together, and I held her close, breathing her in. If this was the end, it was quite the journey. I couldn’t bear the thought of moving on, but even as my heart was breaking, my princess pressed a kiss against my chest.  
I held onto her as though for dear life, begging for some kind of miracle as I drifted to sleep.


	11. The End

When I wake that morning, Erik isn’t with me. I sit up quickly, looking around, but he isn’t anywhere to be seen. As I get up, I notice a note sitting on my dresser.  
Princess, meet us outside after you eat breakfast. We’ll be on the back porch, waiting.  
Erik  
There’s a handful of honeysuckles tied together with a ribbon in one corner. I hold them up to my nose, suppressing the tears that are pricking at the corner of my eyes. Oh, Erik. I get dressed in a nice shirt and shorts, taking deep breaths. I don’t know if I can eat, but I’ll give it a shot.  
My mom and little brother are out in the living room when I leave my room. “Morning!” Mom says to me.  
“Good morning,” I reply, trying to pretend to be chipper.  
I pour myself some cereal, sitting down at the table, and my mom walks over, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, honey?”  
“Yeah.” I smile up at her.  
She looks up at me for a few moments before nodding. “If you want to talk about it, you can always tell me. I’m here for you, okay?”  
I nod, giving her a hug. “Thanks, Mom.” I’ll never understand her “mom-sense”, but I’ll always find it impressive. One day, maybe I’ll be half as good as she is.  
After staring at my food for a while, I eat a bite before plastic-wrapping the top of the bowl. Maybe I’ll finish it later. With a deep breath, I head downstairs, stumbling on the last few. My heart won’t stop pounding.  
Hesitantly, I open the door leading outside and am greeted by the five demon brothers, their back to me, looking up into the sky.  
“That one looks like a turtle!” Matthew says.  
“Maybe if you’re a squirt,” Sam says. “It’s obviously a football.”  
“With legs?!” he snaps.  
I close the door with a soft click, and they all jump, turning to look at me. “Ah, good morning!” Matthew bounces over to me, smiling hugely.  
“Morning.” I try to return his smile, but I’m really nervous. I look up at Erik, the expression in his eyes stealing my breath. I take a step toward him, hesitating.  
“Princess,” he whispers, walking toward me. He pulls me into his arms, holding me so tightly. I hold him too, tears in my eyes.  
“Erik.” My voice cracks, and I bite my tongue so as not to say anymore. This is hard enough on us as it is.  
He steps away from me suddenly, putting on the single bravest smile I’ve ever seen and probably ever will. I know he’s just trying to be strong for me, and that makes this even worse. “I’ll miss you,” he says to me, his voice full of emotion.  
I nod, still not trusting myself to speak. This is so unbearably hard. The other boys all say their goodbyes to me, Damien pausing to lock eyes with me for a long moment. I look at him, confused, as he nods and walks past.  
“All right,” Matthew says, handing me the potion. “You’ll want to do it all in one go, okay? It’s not the best-tasting thing.”  
“That’s fine.” My hands are shaking as I uncork the top. Slowly, slowly, I tilt it up to my mouth.  
As it touches my lips, Erik shouts, “Princess, no!” I jump, upending the entire thing in my mouth and swallowing, coughing so hard as it goes down. My body feels warm, and the ends of my fingers and toes are tingling.  
When I open my eyes, the boys are all staring at me, dumbstruck. Erik looks heart-broken. “What?” I ask, my voice a little hoarse from choking down the potion. “Did I do something?”  
“Princess?” Erik asks hesitantly.  
“Yeah?”  
He stares at me wide-eyed before looking at Matthew. “It didn’t work?”  
“Well, I don’t know,” Matthew replies. “I gave her a potion that returns her scent to normal and makes it so she can’t see lesser demons. Won’t know if it works until we give her some space.”  
“Matthew!” James says. “Why didn’t you ask the rest of us before you did that?”  
“I still have the memory one,” I say, pulling it out of my pocket. Matthew had given it to me last night before I went to bed.  
As I hold it up, it’s suddenly flung from my hand and shatters against the concrete of the back porch. I stare at Erik who is looking at the shattered remains in shock. He looks up at me, his face going red.  
“I…I….” Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t lose you,” he manages.  
Tears of joy prick my eyes as I practically leap into his arms. “Erik!” I bury my face in his chest, laughing.  
“Oh, my princess,” he whispers, squeezing me tightly.  
“All right,” James sighs, and I step back from Erik, trying to judge by James’ reaction how he feels about this.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. Matthew didn’t even tell me until last night,” I reply.  
“Eh,” Sam says. “Who gives a shit? You and Erik can be gross together now.”  
I laugh, smiling. “I think they make a lovely couple,” Damien adds.  
“Yeah! You guys are adorable!” Matthew is gushing like a fangirl, which makes me laugh.  
“I said, all right,” James says. “I really am glad that we don’t have to say goodbye,” he adds at my saddened expression. “However, now that this is more long-term, we’re going to have to start thinking logistics.”  
“Leave that to the four of us,” Matthew says. “These two thought this would be their last day together. They should go celebrate.”  
“That’s a brilliant idea, Matthew,” Erik replies, looking down at me. “What do you say, princess? Would you like to go on a date with me?”  
I nod, unable to suppress the goofy grin on my face. “Let’s do it! I have to ask my mom first, and then I guess I should….” My face goes red in an instant, and I bite back any further words.  
“What is it?” Erik asks, looking concerned.  
“Ah, well.” Damien laughs, and I realize he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I look over at him, begging him not to say anything, but it’s too late.  
“She wants to know if she should introduce you as her boyfriend,” Damien says, a grin on his face.  
I die a little bit, trying to take a step back from Erik, but he’s holding my hand. Erik turns, smiling gently at me. “I would love nothing more than for you to introduce me to your family as your boyfriend,” he says.  
My stomach does a flip at the word, and I’m glad I didn’t finish breakfast. I let out a shaky breath, nodding at Erik. “I’m glad.”  
“Why the hell are you so embarrassed?” Sam asks.  
“Good question,” I reply, forcing a laugh. “Um, this is all really new to me.”  
“Same here,” Erik replies. “But we’ll go through it together. Okay?”  
I smile, nodding. “All right.” I pull out my phone to check the time. “I probably can’t get away with leaving the house until noon, so it’ll be a few hours. I’ll let you know what my mom says, and we can plan from there.”  
“Sounds good,” Erik replies. “I look forward to when next we meet, my beautiful princess.” He pulls me toward him kissing my forehead. One of his brothers whistles, and I blush again. Erik glares daggers at Matthew who looks away, feigning innocence.  
“I’ll see you in a bit,” I say to Erik, running inside. I dash upstairs and to my room, throwing myself onto my bed and hugging a pillow. Erik. My boyfriend. My first boyfriend. I feel like an idiot, but I’m so happy.  
I lay like that for a little longer before I head back out into the living room where I find my mom on her iPad. “Hey, Mom?”  
She looks up. “You look like you’re feeling better,” she says.  
“Yeah, I am.” I smile. “Do you mind if I go out with Erik today?”  
“Didn’t you go out with him last weekend?”  
“Yeah, but Anna was there too.”  
She raises an eyebrow at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”  
“Erik and I are dating!” The words come out in a rush, but my mom has been deciphering me for years.  
“That’s exciting,” she replies, frowning. “But you haven’t known him very long. Did he ask you out?”  
“He did,” I reply, although, technically, he confessed to me. He never actually asked me out. Or does being asked on a date count? Maybe? I don’t even know, but I don’t care. I’m too excited right now.  
“Is he going to come over here first?” she asks me.  
“Yeah. I told him I wanted to introduce him to you in this new regard. He’s looking forward to it.”  
She sighs, getting to her feet. “All right. I guess I’d better get dressed.”  
“I love you, Mom! You’re the best!” I jump over the couch and give her a huge hug.  
“I know,” she replies, laughing. “I love you too.”

When Erik knocks on the front door, later, my little brother gets to it first. “Raina, your boyfriend’s here,” he yells, trying to get a rise out of me.  
“Yes,” I say, looking only at Erik. “He is.”  
Ben shakes his head. “What?”  
“A pleasure to see you again too, Ben,” Erik replies, smiling.  
“Yeah,” Ben says, not knowing how to respond. He ends up leaving the room quicker than necessary, and I laugh.  
“Welcome,” I say to Erik, smiling.  
He returns my smile with one of his own, and it makes my heart beat faster. “Thank you, princess.”  
“All right,” Mom says, coming into the entryway. “Who’s this punk who wants to date my daughter?”  
Erik, without missing a beat, bows to my mother like a classy gentleman. “My name is Erik, ma’am, and I would ask for the honor of dating your daughter.”  
Mom looks at him, surprised and impressed. “Okay, you pass, for now. She’s kind of a chatterbox and a scatterbrain, but look after her, all right?”  
“Mom!” I say, thoroughly embarrassed.  
“It will be my pleasure,” Erik replies, taking my hand in his. He smiles down at me, and I find myself praying that he never lets go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope I at least made somebody worry with this. So ends the first arc of my story but not the whole thing, I promise. I have a second arc planned, with the appearance of everyone's favorite succubus and getting the story on track with Michaela's timeline. Stay tuned, and thanks again!


	12. Pride and Succubus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the start of arc two! I hope anyone who's stuck around this long will enjoy!

I couldn’t stop looking over at Erik. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, except that I’m driving. He grins at me every time he catches me looking, and then I look away for a while before I find my eyes drawn to him once again. “Dernière Danse” comes on my iPod once again, and I remember the first time it was just the two of us going somewhere. It feels like it was ages ago, but it was only a week.  
When we arrive at the mall, I find myself smiling up at the hideous conglomeration of shops. Erik hadn’t really been to a lot of places in town, but still, why he wanted to go here was beyond me. It isn’t exactly what I think when I hear “first date”. Then again, I have a feeling nothing about this relationship is going to be conventional. Not that I mind.  
“I like your shoes, by the way,” Erik says when we get out of the car.   
Looking down at my red Converse, I say the first thing that comes to mind: “Converse All-Stars, vintage 2004.” He raises and eyebrow, and I laugh. “Sorry. That one’s a reflex now. It’s from a movie.” I tap the toe of my shoe on the ground. “It’s the reason I fell in love with these shoes. I’m not a name-brand kind of clothing person about anything except these shoes.”  
Erik smiles. “You might have to show me the movie that inspires someone to fall in love with those shoes.”  
“With pleasure,” I reply. His hand finds mine, and I blush a little. “Right. This is a thing.” I give his hand a squeeze, taking a deep breath. “So, the mall. Where do you want to go?”  
“Anywhere, my beautiful princess,” he replies, grinning.  
“You are not helpful,” I retort, but I smile in return. “Let’s just walk around. If anything catches your eye, we can stop in.” 

Fun fact: Erik likes clothing. Every store we pass that sells clothes, he wants to visit. This alone I wouldn’t mind. But he also wants me to try on things.  
“Erik,” I whine after the third store.  
He chuckles. “All right, all right. Last one.” He hands me a sundress that is soft and flowy; it’s a lot prettier than anything I would typically pull out. It’s also a lot more expensive.   
“Fine,” I say, stepping into the changing room. I put the dress on, looking at myself in the mirror and sighing. It looks great on me, fitting and flaring in all the right places. Something about my Converse makes me feel a lot cooler than I actually am, kind of a “punk in a dress” feel.  
When I step out, Erik smiles at me. “You look lovely, my princess.”  
“I like this one,” I say, twirling in it. “And it passes the spin test.” Erik had found that amusing, the idea that if a dress didn’t flare up when spun in, I wasn’t interested in it. All of my friends agreed that half of a dress’ merit lay in that fact. The other half was split between looks and comfort.  
I head back into the booth, changing back into my normal clothes before heading back out. Erik reaches for the dress, saying, “I’ll put this back, and I’ll meet you up front, okay?”  
“Sure thing,” I reply, waving to him and making my way to the entrance of the store. I look out at the mall, feeling a little hungry. There’s Chinese food here. I think that’s what I’ll be getting today.  
“Ready?” Erik asks, stepping up beside me. There’s a bag in his hand.  
“What did you get?” I query.  
“A gift.” He grins, and I shake my head.  
“Erik, you didn’t.”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replies, the biggest lying grin on his face.  
“Erik!” I reach for the bag, but he holds it away from me.   
“I think I can buy my girlfriend a gift on our first date,” he says, and I sigh. The way my stomach flips at the words “girlfriend” and “first date” makes me feel silly and really happy.  
“Fine.” As much as I’d like to fight him more about this, I’m reminded of my mom telling me to be grateful for things offered me. I have a bad habit of trying to reject gifts, which has caused more than a few people’s feelings to be hurt.  
“Where to next?” Erik asks me.  
“Food,” I reply.  
“Sounds good to me.” We head to the food court and straight to the Chinese vendor that he eyes with curiosity. “What have we here?”  
“It’s delicious, I promise,” I say, as we order. I get him the same thing as me, and we settle down to eat. I make sure to grab him a fork, but I eat with chopsticks, something he finds impressive.  
“You’ll have to teach me sometime.”  
“Sure,” I say. “It really just takes practice. One of my friends taught me. Her mother believed that if they were going to eat foreign food, they should experience it the way that culture would eat it.”  
He nods. “That’s a curious concept.”  
“It’s also fun,” I reply, tossing a grain of rice at him.  
Chuckling, he shakes his head, continuing to eat his food. When we’re done, I head to the bathroom, leaving him at the table. On my way back, I notice a young woman, probably close to my age, sitting on a bench, tears in her eyes. She looks miserable.  
I swallow down any misgivings, walking over to her. “Hey,” I say as I stand before her. She looks up at me in surprise, her incredibly long, brown hair falling over one shoulder. She’s absolutely gorgeous, enough so that I’m stunned into silence for a second.   
When I regain myself, I ask, “Are you okay?”  
“I-I’m fine,” she says with a warm, deeper voice. She wipes her eyes, but the tears are still leaking out.  
“It’ll be okay,” I tell her. “Things always have a way of working themselves out.”  
“Do they?” she asks me.  
“Mm-hm.” I give her a thumbs up, and she manages a weak laugh. “See? It’s a little better already. I find it’s easier to think about things when you can clear your head a bit.”  
She nods, taking a shuddering breath. “I’ll have to test that for myself.”  
“Here,” I say, digging in my purse and pulling out a little bit of chocolate. I usually keep something sweet on me in case I have a panic attack and need something to bring up my blood sugar afterward. I hand it to her, and she eyes it suspiciously. “It’s just chocolate. I promise, it’ll make you feel better.”  
She hesitantly takes a bite, and her eyes widen in surprise. “It’s good.”  
I smile. “Of course. It’s chocolate!” She laughs at me, and I feel relieved. I’m very hit-or-miss at cheering up strangers, but when it works, it makes me feel really happy. “Whatever’s made you cry like that, it’ll work out. You just have to believe that and keep going forward.”  
“Right.” She gets to her feet, standing a little taller than me. The gold lines on her black dress glimmer a little in the light, and I find myself dazed once again. “Thank you,” she says to me, smiling.”  
“Of course. Good luck with things.” Still a bit out of it, I walk away, heading back to Erik. What a strange, beautiful woman. I really do hope everything ends up okay.  
When I get back to him, he’s taken care of our trash and eyes me curiously. “Are you all right, princess?”  
“Hm?”  
“You look a little…lost?”  
“Uh.” I blink, and it feels like a spell was broken or something. “I’m okay.” I rub one side of my head as my eyes fall on a familiar face heading our way. “Shoot.”  
“What is it?” he asks, turning to see what I do.  
“Raina!” Anna and Synthia come over to me, waving.  
“Hey,” I say, resisting the urge to hide behind Erik.  
“Yo,” Anna says to Erik.  
“Hello, again,” he replies, all charm as per usual. I wish I had an ounce of his confidence.  
“Um, Erik,” I say, “this is Synthia.” I gesture to my shockingly blonde friend who smiles at Erik.  
“Hello!”  
“A pleasure,” Erik says.  
“So, you guys just hanging out?” Anna asks, eyeing us suspiciously. She’s too perceptive.  
“Uh, sort of.” My face grows bright red as I say, “A date.”  
“Date?” Anna looks from Erik to me. “So…?”  
“We’re dating,” I manage. Erik takes my hand, and I look up at him to find a gentle smile on his face.   
“Yay!” Synthia cheers at the same time as Anna’s hand lands across my face with a resounding smack!  
“What the heck?” I ask her, eyes wide with shock.  
“Our bet,” she says. “You said I could smack you if you got a boyfriend.”  
“No,” I reply. “I said if I got one before you. We made that bet years ago, and you CURRENTLY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!”  
“Ah…right.” Anna laughs. “Go ahead.” So, I slap her in return. “Ow!”  
“Karma’s a you-know-what,” I say, shaking my head. I look up at Erik who looks thoroughly confused.  
“Are you all right?” he asks, touching my cheek where Anna had hit me. My face burns even more red, and I take a step back.  
“I’m okay. Really. It sounded worse than it was.”  
“Get a room,” Anna says, and I glare at her.  
“Buzz off. We were on a date before you came by.”  
“Well, then,” she states, but she’s smiling. “Where are you off to next?” she asks me.  
“Dunno,” I say, looking up at Erik.   
“Your choice,” he tells me.  
“Hmm. Books.” I look back at Anna who’s smirking.  
“Have fun, you two. We’re gonna go clothes shopping.”  
“She’s dragging me against my will,” Synthia whines.  
“You’ll live. If you really think you’re going to your job interview in jeans and that shirt, you need all the help you can get.” Anna shakes her head, sighing.  
“Raina,” Synthia says. “Help!”  
I laugh. “I agree with Anna. Besides, you’ll be fine.” She scowls at me as we part ways, Erik and me heading to the book store in the mall.  
“That was rather interesting,” Erik says, grinning.  
“The hard part’s over, at least,” I say. “This is a first for me, so I didn’t know what to expect.”  
“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that slap,” Erik adds, sounding a bit worried.  
“I promise it’s okay,” I reply. “I just can’t believe she remembered.” With a smile, we walk into the bookstore, and I lose myself in the shelves immediately. “Do you like to read at all?” I ask Erik.  
“I can’t really say. I’ve never really read for pleasure,” he replies. “Only ever for instruction.”  
“That sounds miserable,” I say. “Well, I can recommend some things to you if you want to give it a shot.”  
“It’s worth a try, my princess.” He smiles at me, and I find myself reaching for his hand. When I realize what I’m doing, I freeze, a blush racing across my face.  
“S-sorry,” I say, clenching my outstretched hand into a fist.  
“It’s all right, my dear,” he says, taking my balled-up hand and gently unfurling my fingers to lace them through his own. “This is okay. Truly, it is.”  
I nod, biting my lip. “Yeah. It’ll take a while, but I’ll get used to being able to touch you eventually.” I give him a small smile that he returns with a gentle one of his own.  
“Take as long as you need,” he replies, kissing my knuckles and making my stomach flip. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
“You say that now. Wait until you get to know me better, and you might start running for the hills.” I grin, and he laughs.  
“Never.”  
I end up with a few teen fantasy novels and some manga, which Erik finds very curious. I promise to explain them to him later, and after I buy everything, we head home, greeting my mom briefly before heading back to my room.  
“All right. Books.” I slide my fingers along some spines, frowning. “Well, what would you want to read? I’ve got high fantasy, realistic fiction…straight-up love stories.”  
He frowns. “Well, what do you think? For the week you’ve known me, what might strike my fancy?”  
I smile at that phrase, pulling Pride and Prejudice from my shelf. “This one. I think you’ll like it.”  
He glances at the old, leather-bound book. “How old is this?”  
“It was a gift from my grandfather,” I reply. “It’s a story about two people and how they eventually fall in love after facing some obstacles. It’s a classic.”  
“All right,” he says, opening the book and coughing. “That smells terrible.”  
I laugh. “I’m sorry. I have a compilation of all of that author’s work, but it’s a lot bigger and kind of hard to hold or take around with you.”  
“I’ll live,” he says, smiling. “Many of the books back in the Demon World were much like this.” He glances at my clock to catch the time: it’s a little after six. The day is almost over, something that makes me rather sad. “Shall I read to you?” he asks me.  
“Read to me?” The idea of Erik’s voice reciting to me those words I hold so dear makes me feel strangely warm and happy. “If you want to, I think I’d like that.”  
“All right,” he says, and we settle down on the ground as Erik begins to read the first sentence: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Erik raises his eyebrows at me, and I laugh.  
“Go on,” I say, and he smiles, his soft, smooth voice going on, and I find myself being lost in a book in a new way, with the man I love moving the story forward. It’s all I can do to not lose myself in his voice and forget the tale I cherish so dearly.  
After a while, I look up to see my mom standing in the doorway, listening as well. “Hey,” I say to her, putting a hand on Erik’s shoulder to get him to look up at my mom as well. “What’s up?” I ask.  
“That’s a good book.”  
I laugh. “Yes, yes it is.”  
“Anyway, dinner is done.” She waves at us as she turns and leaves.  
I smile. “All right. Let’s get some food.”  
Erik gets to his feet, holding out a hand to me. “That sounds delightful to me, princess,” he replies, and together we leave the world of Pride and Prejudice behind to continue with our own love story.


	13. T is for Trouble

Erik told me the guys were going to make themselves scarce to look for housing. Apparently, they had a decent amount of money they’d brought with them from the Demon World. When I asked how they’d carried it all, I got one of the weird looks they gave me when they didn’t know how much was okay to tell me. I had to think there was a good reason for their secrecy, but it didn’t make me any happier about it.  
It’s weird being alone for a change, but I also don’t mind it. I’m not a big fan of being around people all the time; it makes me tired. I’ve decided that I want to go into downtown, maybe go to T’s or something. He’d be the next person I’d need to tell about my dating Erik.  
“Downtown” is really just a bunch of shops all bundled together on a few streets. Mostly antique shops, but there are a few old bookstores, some trendy clothing stores, and some specialty places. T’s is on the corner of the two main streets, so it’s a hot spot for shoppers looking for respite from their exploits.  
After stopping in at a few places, wishing I had more money to spend on a few more books, I stand at a cross walk, staring at T’s. That’s when someone blindsides me, making me smack into the signal that still reads “Don’t Walk”. “Ah.” I touch my head where it hit, wincing.  
A group of men glare at me, and I take a step back, whatever angry retort that had been building dying instantly. “Watch where you’re going,” a voice behind me says, and I freeze as the air grows cold. Despite it having been a woman’s voice, all I can think of is Favian’s hands on me.  
“Back off, lady,” one of the men says, but his voice doesn’t have the same bravado as before. I look over my shoulder to see the woman from the mall yesterday. She looks a lot calmer and more collected now, but upon closer inspection, I notice…a slightly purple hue around her.   
“Apologize, and leave.” Her eyes flash gold for an instant, and I feel my stomach drop to my feet. It couldn’t be.  
“Sorry,” all of the men say to me before scurrying across the street.  
“Are you all right, dear?” the woman says, smiling at me.  
“Y-yeah,” I say. “I’m okay.”  
“How’s your head?”  
That’s right. I’d been hit. “It’s all good. I’ve always been told I’m hardheaded.” Okay, that’s a bad joke. “Um, thank you for that.”  
“No problem,” she replies. “I don’t like leaving debts unpaid.”  
“Not at all,” I say. There’s a pause, so I add, “My name’s Raina,” if only for something to fill the silence.  
“Call me Diana.”  
“That’s pretty,” I say, smiling at her. Inside my head, I’m debating what I should do. If she really is a demon, what can I do? She’s not threatening me in any way. Really, she seems kind of nice. Maybe she’s like the boys, and she isn’t out to hurt me. That would make more sense than to think some random demon is after me. Matthew’s potion returned me to normal.  
“Isn’t it?” She laughs, a languorous sound, and I find myself drawn to her. It kind of feels like Erik’s enthrallments, but I don’t like it.   
“H-how are things? Did your problem from yesterday get any better?”  
“Yes,” she says, nodding. “I’m looking for someone, and I wasn’t even sure if I was in the right city. Now, I know I am.”  
“That’s good!” I say, managing to take a step back. If I’m a little further from her, the pull isn’t as strong. “Well, I hope you find them.”  
“Thank you, dearie.”  
“See you around,” I say before darting across the street and settling into a booth at T’s. I have to tell Erik about this.

It’s late, and I’m just waiting for Erik to come into my room. I’d sent him a text earlier to come and see me when everyone else was sleeping. It’s going on ten o’clock. I had to be up in exactly eight hours. Woo, me.  
There’s a knock, and I jump as Erik climbs into my room through my window. “Hello, princess,” he says to me, a smile on his face. Something about seeing him makes my heart flip, and so many thoughts run through my head. The only thing I can manage is reaching out a hand to him, hesitantly. He chuckles before taking my hand and pulling me into his arms.  
I grip him tightly, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. Dammit. “Princess?” He touches my face, tilting my chin up to look at him. “Is everything all right?”  
“Y-yeah,” I say, wiping my eyes and sniffling. “I…um…missed you. More than I probably should have.”  
“I missed you too, my princess,” he says, kissing the top of my head.  
“How was your day?” I ask him. “Did you guys figure anything out?”  
“There were some promising options, but we’ll definitely need to do some more searching. It was a rather tiring experience, in all honesty.” We sit down on my bed, and, after overthinking it for a moment that feels like forever, I hesitantly lean my head on his shoulder. He nuzzles the top of my head, and I find myself smiling. I made a good choice.  
“I’m glad you guys will be settling in here, getting your own place and stuff, but I’m going to miss getting to see you every day.” I close my eyes, just listening to him breathe. What is with me that I find that sound comforting?  
“I know what you mean,” he says, taking my hand in his and rubbing it gently. This feeling. I don’t want to lose this feeling. It’s so warm. “It’s been absolutely wonderful to see your beautiful face each day.”  
I elbow him, sitting up so I can look into his sweet eyes. “And yours,” I say, smiling.  
“We’ll be all right,” he says, kissing the knuckles of my hand. I nod, and he asks, “So, how was your day, princess?”  
“Good,” I say. I have a feeling that if I tell him there’s another demon in the area, the moment will be shattered, and I don’t want to lose this mood right now. I’ll tell him tomorrow. “I went into town and ended up at T’s eventually. He gave me a hard time when I told him that we were dating. He says you have to come and see him, get his blessing.” I grin, and Erik laughs.  
“Is that so? I just might have to pay him a visit, then.”   
“It’s easier to just ignore T. He’s a pain.”  
“But he cares about you. Both him and his wife.”  
“They do,” I say, smiling. I sigh, and Erik squeezes my hand.  
“Princess, is that a bruise?” I jump as Erik’s hand touches my head where I’d hit that pole earlier.  
“Ah, yeah. Um, someone bumped into me kind of hard, and I hit a pole. It’s no big deal. I’d completely forgotten about it.”  
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, princess.” He gently kisses that spot, and I sigh, content.  
“Kiss me?” I ask him, my face growing red. “Or not. I mean, whatever you want to do.” I lean away from him, but his arms find their way around me.  
“Princess, you can have all the kisses in the world. And you need not be embarrassed for wanting one. Okay?” He holds my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him.  
“Okay,” I say to him. “I just have to get used to this. To…us.”  
“As do I,” he says. “We’ll get through this together. Now, come here.” He leans in, kissing me tenderly, and my heart beats fast. When he breaks the kiss, I find myself leaning in for another one that he eagerly accepts. I cling to him, not wanting this moment to end as his enthrallment gently sweeps over me.  
I can feel him drain my energy a little bit, but after a few more kisses, he pulls away, smiling at me. “My Erik,” I say to him, my face hugely red.  
“And my princess. Now, sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow, all right? After school, we can go out together somewhere.”  
“That sounds nice,” I say, leaning against his chest. I can hear his heart beat, and it startles me. It’s such a solid, real sound, and it grounds me in this moment. It’s Erik, he’s here, and he wants to stay with me. Nothing else matters…not even other strange demons coming to town.


	14. Cafe of Promises

Erik and I end up at T’s after school, and after I order some food, I take a few deep breaths to prepare myself for asking Erik about Diana, the woman from yesterday. I just hope he doesn’t freak out. She doesn’t seem as bad as Favian, if she even is a demon. And, if she isn’t what could she be?  
“Princess, what’s wrong?” I jump at the sound of Erik’s voice, and I blush, feeling dumb.  
“Sorry. Just…overthinking things.”  
“If there’s anything I can help you with, you need only ask, my dear.” He takes my hand in his over the table, and I feel my heart flip. He squeezes gently, letting it go as T drops our food off.  
“Aren’t you too adorable?” T asks, laughing at the glare I shoot him. “I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy!”  
I shake my head as he leaves, sighing into my sandwich. Erik hasn’t taken a bite, his eyes still on me. “Erik,” I say, looking up at him. “Can only demons use magic?”  
He blinks in surprise, obviously not expecting that question. “Well, no, actually. With the proper training and the right natural disposition, anyone could learn magic. Even you could, if you found a proper teacher. Unfortunately, I don’t have a knack for teaching, though James might be able to help.”  
I smile, filing that information away. “I might ask him later, then.” So, maybe that woman isn’t a demon. “What about…enthrallment?”  
“That one is a demon ability, although different kinds of demons are better at different kinds of enthrallments.”  
“Gotcha,” I say.  
That only leads to more questions, but before I can say any more, Erik beats me to the punch: “Why do you ask?”  
“Ah. Um….” I bite my lip. “Promise you won’t freak out?”  
He raises an eyebrow, but he says, “I promise, princess.”  
“Okay. So, I might have met another demon the other day.” The look on his face paralyzes me in my seat. I know who he’s thinking of, and I know he’s trying so hard to keep his promise to me, so I continue quickly. “It wasn’t Favian, Erik. It was a woman. She was actually kind of nice. She scared away some guys that were giving me a hard time yesterday.” I gesture to the very faint bruise still on my temple.  
“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?” he asks, his voice tighter than usual.  
“I’m sorry,” I say. “You were so tired, and I didn’t want to bother you with this.”  
“Princess,” he says, taking both my hand in his. “You needn’t worry about me. If it’s to do with your safety, I want to know, all right?”  
I nod. “I knew you’d be upset with me.”  
He smiles softly, and I can tell he’s a bit more at ease now. “I’m not upset, my princess. I just want you to know you can trust me.”  
“Right,” I say, looking down at our joined hands.  
“So, this woman you met. What did she call herself?”  
“Diana,” I say. “She was beautiful, Erik. She had really long brown hair and these strangely compelling red eyes.” Erik tenses again immediately, and I notice a strange, almost haunted look in his eyes. “Erik?” I ask, hesitating.  
“Princess. If you see her again, call for me.”  
“Erik, what--?”  
“You have to promise me.”  
“Erik, do you know her?”  
He squeezes my hand tightly and says, “Please. I’m begging you. Promise me, if you see her again, you’ll call my true name.”  
I nod. “All right, Erik.”  
He relaxes his grip on my hand, but only slightly. “Thank you.” He gets to his feet, looking down at our untouched food. “I need to talk with James. Can we get this to go?”  
“Erik,” I say, suddenly feeling incredibly sad. “What’s wrong?”  
“Princess,” he says, sighing. “I promise you, I will tell you everything, but I need to speak with James first. It’s not my story alone to tell.”  
“Okay, Erik.” We pack up our food and head home, Erik giving me a goodbye kiss as he heads off in search of James. I watch him leave, a weight settling in my stomach. Something is very wrong here. How many red-eyed, brown-haired demons must there be in the world? And yet, the mere mention of one and Erik…becomes afraid.  
Just why did they leave the Demon World? Were they running from someone? Was it this beautiful woman? If so, has she come to bring them home?  
My stomach drops to my feet at the thought, and I have to fill my head with inane thoughts to prevent the panic that threatens from rising up. How much will I have to fight to keep Erik at my side?  
It doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever I have to. We’ve only just begun dating! I want to see how this plays out on its own, with no interference. Besides…being with Erik feels…right. Like nothing has in a long time.


	15. Amuse-ing

Sitting in my English class, I find myself being able to focus on nothing but the text Erik sent me this morning. He’d spoken to James. Tonight, after everyone had gone to bed, he’d meet me in my room and tell me everything. So, obviously, that’s all I can think about.  
“Raina!” Anna elbows me, and I look up. The class is chattering, and Mrs. Deadalus is sitting at her desk. I definitely missed something.  
“What’s up?”  
“Group project. What are we going to do?”  
“You, me, and Syn?” I ask, looking over at Synthia who has her nose buried in The Fellowship of the Ring. This has to be the third time she’s read that book, at least. I don’t know how she does it. She looks up at her name.  
“Sounds good to me,” she says. “What are we going to do?”  
“Well, what are the options?” I ask. Anna passes me the paper she’s been looking at, and I frown. “We have to do three parts, right?”  
“Yeah. I kind of want to try making the papier-mâché masks to represent Iago’s betrayal, and Othello’s sadness,” Anna says.  
“I want to do the video where we reenact a scene,” Synthia says.  
“We’re not doing the part where Desdemona gets smothered,” I say. Othello isn’t a bad play, but I dislike characters being murdered by suffocation. I’m not really a fan of main characters dying, period. Call me a softie or a wuss, but I just can’t stand it.  
“Aw,” Synthia whines, and I laugh.  
“Nailed it.” I look over the potential options and find one that catches my eye. “I want to try this one.” I point at it, and Anna and Synthia look at me like I’m crazy.  
“I mean, good luck,” Anna says.  
“It could be fun,” I reply, defending my choice.  
“Or it’ll be really bad.”  
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”  
“Have you ever tried writing music before?” she asks.  
“No. But it’s worth a shot. We’re the only band kids in this class, so it’s not like anyone will know how bad it is if I screw up.” I grin at her, and she laughs.  
“Fine, fine.”  
“You have to play it with me when it’s done, okay?”  
“Only if it doesn’t suck,” she says, and I shove her.  
“Meanie.” I laugh, and she grins.  
“Of course.”

When school lets out, I hop in my truck, staring at the wheel for a while. Where can I go while I kill time? The last thing I want to do is go straight home where I’ll go mad from waiting for tonight. Maybe I’ll hit up downtown again. Walking is good exercise.  
A little voice in the back of my head warns me that that’s where I saw Diana last, but I push it away. This town isn’t that small. The odds of me seeing her again in the same place are pretty slim. Then again, I’ve seen her twice in the past two days….  
With no other idea to go on, I head downtown. I wish the park was an option, but going somewhere kind of isolated by myself always kind of scares me. If something happened to me while hiking, who knew how long it would take before someone could come help me? At the same time, I could just call for Erik. I know the moment I do, though, he’ll think it’s Diana and not my own foolishness for going somewhere alone like that.  
I laugh as I hit the button for the crosswalk to change. And I was worried I’d think myself into a frenzy at home. Apparently, I can do that anywhere. Crossing the street, I wander past a few shops, eventually rounding a corner and freezing.  
Well, I’ll be damned.  
She hasn’t seen me yet, and my first instinct is to call for Erik. Then again…she hasn’t been unkind to me. Maybe Erik is worried over nothing. Or, maybe it’s someone else he’s thinking of. If things got weird, I’d call his name, but only then. I don’t want to bug him if there’s nothing to worry about.  
Diana turns, and when her eyes fall on me, she smiles. “Raina, right?”  
I nod. “Uh, hi, Diana.”  
She walks toward me, and I notice her gait is smooth, almost…predatory. I resist the urge to shake my head. Now I’m getting paranoid. “It’s good to see you again, dear.”  
“You too,” I say, trying not to seem freaked out. She’s done nothing to me. I have no reason to be afraid. But, then, why did Erik look so scared when I described her? “What are you up to?”  
“Well,” she says, taking a step toward me, “I’ve finally managed to find what I’m looking for. The only problem is, I’ve expended a lot of energy looking.” I try to take a step back, but something roots me in place. I know this feeling. I’m being enthralled.  
Diana sighs, shaking her head. “You’ve been nothing but kind to me, dearie, and this is a terrible way of repaying you. I’m sorry. However, you are brimming with just the kind of energy I need. Don’t worry. When I’m done, I’ll make it so you don’t remember a thing.”  
She keeps moving toward me, and everything in me begs for me to bolt, to get out of here as fast as I can. Her enthrallment is strong, however, ten times stronger than Favian’s. It’s like the difference between a child holding a person and a wrestler doing the same.  
She tilts my chin up, moving in to kiss me. As her lips are inches from mine, a word escapes me: “Uzaeris.”  
There’s a flash, and Diana steps back, her enthrallment on me disappearing in an instant. My knees give out, but a pair of arms catches me, holding me close. “Raina!” I look up into Erik’s worried face, and I let out a breath in relief.  
“Erik,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”  
“Don’t be,” he says. “It’s okay now. You’re safe.” He helps me to my feet, but I still have to lean on him a little. He turns from me to Diana, his eyes glaring daggers. “What are you doing here?” His voice is low, dripping with barely suppressed fury.  
Diana’s face falters in shock before it’s replaced with an eerily polished façade. “Ah, the second son. I’ve been looking for you and your brothers.” Her voice is laced with honey, and it sends chills down my spine.  
“What do you want, Diana?” Erik asks, holding me close.  
“For you, and your darling brothers, to come home.”  
“We’re not going back, and you shouldn’t have followed us here.”  
“You have a duty to your kingdom!” she shouts. “The princes can’t just leave their responsibilities behind!”  
“We can do whatever we please!” Erik shouts in return.  
“Guys,” I say, looking around at the eyes that have turned on us. “Can we go somewhere? We’re getting funny looks.”  
Erik looks down at me, his expression tender and concerned. “Let’s go home. I have nothing to say to her.”  
“You aren’t going anywhere!” Diana snarls, and I feel her enthrallment trying to creep up again. Erik raises a hand, pushing it away.  
“Try that again. In your weakened state, what could you hope to do to me?” he asks, his voice thick with derision. I don’t like this. I’ve never heard Erik like this before, and it frightens me.  
“Guys,” I say, stepping a little away from Erik. “Let’s go to T’s.”  
Erik looks at me for a long moment before sighing. “Fine.” He glares at Diana again and says, “But if you try anything on the way, I will make you regret ever showing your face here.”  
Relieved, I extend my hand to him, and we walk to my favorite diner, my head swimming. A kingdom. Princes. Responsibilities. What does Diana mean? Is Erik…are all of the brothers…princes? What have I gotten myself into?

When we get to T’s, he’s standing by the front door, talking to a lady with hair even redder than Erik’s. Where his is kind of a coppery pink, hers is like crayon-fresh-out-of-the-box red. T waves when he sees me coming, Erik and Diana in tow.  
“What’s up, pudding cup?” he asks me. He looks kind of tired as he holds the door for us to come inside. The place is completely empty, which is unusual for this time of day.  
“Do you mind if we take a table to just talk?” I feel bad for taking up space if I’m not going to buy anything. Maybe I will on the way out. Depends on how this goes.  
“Not at all,” he says. He gestures to the woman beside him, saying, “This is K. She’s an old colleague of mine.”  
“Nice to meet you,” I say, and she gives me a bright smile.  
“You too!” Her voice sounds kind of…fake? A bit out of it, I turn to find Erik looking out the window and Diana looking at me.  
“Um, okay. Let’s go sit down.” I take Erik’s hand, needing something to ground me before the crap hits the fan. We take a table in the back, Erik sitting across from Diana with me sitting at his side. “Okay, now I need some context,” I say, looking between the two of them.  
“Give me one reason why I should explain myself to a human?” Diana asks, crossing her arms, a challenging glare in her eyes.  
“Because I’m the only reason you’ve got him here to talk to,” I snap back, gesturing to Erik. He nods, backing me up. “So, if you don’t want to talk to me, then we can leave.”  
She laughs. “You’ve got spunk, girl. Fine, I’ll play along. What do you want to know?”  
“What kind of demon are you?” It seems like the simplest place to start.  
“A succubus, dearie.”  
“All right,” I say. “I figured as much when you tried to kiss me.”  
“You what?” Erik sputters, looking concerned.  
“Relax. I didn’t do anything to her. Somehow, she managed to wriggle out of my enthrallment enough to call for you.” Diana sighs. “You’ll be the first human who’s managed to do that,” she says to me, sounding tired.  
“Yay me,” I say, squeezing Erik’s hand. “I’m a little tired of demons trying to force me to do things.” I pinch the bridge of my nose underneath my glasses, taking a deep breath. “How do you two know each other?”  
“Diana is the princess of a neighboring kingdom,” Erik tells me. “In order to prevent a war, she was promised to one of us.”  
“Because you and the others are princes?” I ask.  
He sighs. “We were.”  
“How much do you care for this girl if she doesn’t even know that you are second in line for the Demon World throne?” Diana asks, shaking her head. “Pathetic.”  
Yeah, really? It’s hard not to let her words seep into my skin, breaking down my meager confidence in our fledgling relationship. Ignore it, I tell myself. We’ve only known each other for just over a week. He doesn’t know my life story, so it’s fine that I don’t know his, right? But…I’d shared my biggest secret with him. Couldn’t he have shared anything with me?  
No. Bad Raina. This is probably what he would have told me later today had this not happened. I just need to have a little bit of faith in this man I’ve entrusted with my beat-up heart.  
“You know nothing,” Erik spits. “I care for my princess more than you could ever understand.”  
“And yet you’ve trusted her with nothing.”  
“That’s not true,” I say, making Diana smirk.  
“Oh, really? Has he told you about all of the women he’s given favors to?”  
I cross my arms. “No, but who the hell cares? What girlfriend wants to know all the details about the women who came before her?”  
Diana laughs. “I can tell it bothers you.” She looks me up and down, chuckling. “What could a poor little virgin know about that?”  
My face burns red at her words. “Who gives a crap?” I ask. “I’m not about to whore myself out to people for no reason.” I shake my head. “Whatever. I don’t need to explain myself to you.”  
“No?” she asks. “Please, continue—“  
“Diana, that is enough.” Erik’s voice is soft, but his words are a command. “What I tell Raina is none of your concern. Your qualms aren’t with her but with my brothers and myself.”  
“That is correct,” she says. “You must return to the Demon World, all of you.”  
“We will not return to that place.”  
“Why? Because you’ve found a new toy?” She laughs, shaking her head at me. “I can assure you, I would be a better lover than someone like her ever could.”  
“Why does it always come back to that with you?” I ask her. “Just because you’re a sex demon doesn’t mean that’s all that matters.” I sigh, digging a hand into my hair, dislodging my ponytail. I rip the hairband out of my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders so I can calm myself by playing with it.  
“You know nothing,” she replies.  
“You’re not really helping,” I say.  
“Besides,” Erik adds, “I’ve had enough of loveless intimacy.”  
At that moment, K comes over to our table, a smile on her face. “I just wanted to say, by the way, you two make the cutest couple.” She gestures from Erik to Diana, and I think I might be sick.  
Erik gets to his feet, holding a hand out to me. I take it, and he pulls me up beside him, tucking an arm around my waist. “This is my girlfriend,” he says to her. “And she is more beautiful than anything.” I look up at him, my heart a hot, jumbled mess. Oh, Erik.  
“Oops, my bad,” K says.  
T comes up beside her, shaking his head. “Sorry about that. K has a bad habit of running her mouth for no reason.” He glares at her, but she crosses her arms in return. “You guys are my favorite of all the couples who come in here.”  
I smile at him, grateful for his kindness. “Thanks, T.”  
“Come on,” he says to K, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her away.  
Erik sighs, running a hand through his hair. “All right. We’re going home.”  
I nod, as he drops his arm from around my waist to take my hand. I squeeze it tightly. “Okay.”  
“I’m not letting you leave,” Diana snaps, getting to her feet.  
“You don’t have a choice anymore,” Erik says, and he mumbles a few strange words. Suddenly, there’s a black and purple portal to our left. Erik pulls me through it, and we’re in my room. He closes the portal with a few more words, leaving us alone.  
My legs give out beneath me as a wave of panic rolls over me. I fight back nausea as Erik’s arms slide around me. “Princess,” he whispers, over and over, as I cry, my sobs loud and disgusting.  
“Erik,” I croak, one of my hands fisting in his shirt. “Don’t leave me.”  
“Never,” he says, and I feel his gentle enthrallment creep over me, bringing me back down from my anxious peak. “I will always be by your side, my princess.” He kisses the top of my head and then my forehead. “As long as you want me here.”  
I nod, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “S-sorry.” I ball my hands into fists. “I just got so mad.”  
“Princess,” he says, cupping my face in his hands. I knew I looked like a train wreck, but he doesn’t seem to care. “It’s okay. Really.” He gets to his feet, helping me up again. “I’m going to call my brothers in here, all right? There’s something we should have shown you much sooner than this, but…circumstances….” He shook his head, sighing.  
“It’s okay, Erik,” I say. “I’ve never expected you to trust me with everything about you. We still barely know each other.” I smile. “Even if it feels like I’ve known you forever.”  
He nods. “I feel the same way. I wonder why.” He wraps his arms around me, kissing me gently once, twice, three times before tapping the tip of my nose. “I’ll be right back.”  
“Okay.” And with that, he climbs out of my window, into the late afternoon.


	16. In the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter rehashing plot from the first game. As I've said before, a lot of this is direct quotes from Seduce Me itself, so bear with me. Enjoy!

One by one, all of the boys climb into my room through my window, leaving little room for me to do anything but sit on my bed. Erik takes my hand in his, sighing. “I’ve told them everything that happened earlier, so they’re all up to speed.”  
“All right,” I say, squeezing his hand.   
“Miss, we’re so sorry to bring you into this.” James sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, under his glasses.  
“It’s fine,” I say. “But I need to know what’s really going on and what’s at stake.”  
“First,” James says, “you should know that we’ve actually been in the human world for six months, not just a few weeks.” I nod, processing this information. That makes more sense as to why they seem to know a decent amount about my world.  
“Time flows differently in the human world than in the demon world,” Matthew adds. “So, we’ve been here for half a year, but we’ve been gone from our world for….” Matthew holds up his fingers, counting.  
“Two and a half years,” James states.  
“Two and a half….” I shake my head. “That’s a long time to be gone.” Looking up at Erik, he sighs.  
“It is, but it feels only like a matter of moments. Our time in the human world has flown by up until this point.” Erik touches my hair, running a hand through it.  
“I wonder how long Diana has been here,” I reply.  
“Long enough to be rather weak. Her magic was only a fraction of what it was when we saw her last.”  
I nod, trying to understand. The fact that time works differently in the demon world, how long the brothers have really been away from home, and…how long Diana has been too. What could have changed in the time she was gone? Would the Demon Lord wait for her to come back?  
“Damien,” James says, gesturing to the youngest brother.   
“All right.” Damien settles beside me on my bed, and says, “I’m going to show you something, but I need you to remain calm and trust me, okay?”  
Which is not something that immediately inspires trust or calmness. I take a deep breath, looking up at Erik. “It will be all right, princess,” Erik tells me. “Damien won’t hurt you.”  
“I know that,” I say, looking back at Damien. Of all the brothers, Damien seems the gentlest in general. He smiles a little before lifting his hands and placing them on my temples.  
The room grows dark. Slowly, shapes form in my eyes and I see a somewhat familiar room…it looks like the same hall from the vision Erik showed me. However, this time, I’m actually in the room, my body transparent, like a ghost. Cool.  
“How dare they try to negotiate with me?! Do they not know whom they speak to?!” The echoing voice sends chills down my spine as I notice a pair of what must be demons standing near the throne. I duck behind a pillar despite knowing I’m not really here.  
Before me stands a two-horned demon giving off an aura more terrifying than anything I’ve ever felt. I swallow as a weird, faun-looking demon talks to the larger one.  
“My lord, please calm yourself.”  
“CALM? They are mere insects in the way of my kingdom’s expansion!”  
“They merely asked for a marriage joining.” How could this small demon even stand to be so close to the larger one?”  
“So I am to share my land, which I have so rightfully conquered?”  
“They are willing to give their land to you, sire! All they ask is for one of your sons to wed their daughter, whom I might add is as beautiful as can be!”  
Sire…. Is this…the brother’s father?  
“This is ridiculous. To suggest I need their permission to take their land. What makes them think I care about their precious daughter?” he sneers.  
“Did I mention that she is a prodigy of our kind, sire? She’s a master of her skills in magic and mind. It is said she can sway armies with a snap of her fingers, despite being as young as she is. She is dangerous but would be a great asset should we agree to this arrangement.”  
“Is this supposed to change my mind?”  
“Yes?” Diana. They must have been talking about Diana. My stomach clenches slightly at the thought.  
A small voice said, “Father?” I see a child with black hair approach the Demon Lord.  
“Ah, Raestrao. Have you finished your training?” Is that…James?  
“Yes, Father.”  
“Then what do you want?”  
“I want to be with my brothers the rest of the day, Father.” I watch in horror as the boy’s father walks over, grabs Raestrao by his hair, and forces him to look up at his snarl. Raestrao looks completely unfazed.  
“Such arrogance. Why should I allow you to be with them? I should kill you for disrespecting me.”  
“Because I want to be with them.” Kill. Kill his own son. What kind of monster is this guy?  
Of all things, he laughs, releasing the young demon. “Good. Assertive in the face of danger. That is why you are my favorite son.” He puts his hand on the young one’s shoulder. “Go. Tomorrow, you will show me your training.”  
The young demon grins hugely before he dashes off. I watch him go, kind of wanting to join him. If he is who I think he is and he’s going to see his brothers, I want to come along. Anything to be away from these monsters.  
“I have a thought,” the Demon Lord says. “How old is this daughter?”  
“As old as your…fifth, sire.”  
“Tell those insects that they are safe for now. I will consider their offer.”  
The two demons leave, and I don’t even get time to figure out what I should do next when a demon walks into the room, a book in his hands. A young voice reaches my ears: “Raestrao. Your nose is stuck in those books. Will you not lift your head up from them once in a while?”  
That voice…. I look around the pillar to see a second demon standing there, smirking at Raestrao…. It’s a young Erik. He looks so…cute.  
“Aren’t you supposed to be with your mother, practicing the harpsichord?” Raestrao asks his brother.  
“I am, but I had a feeling you were in danger.”  
“In danger? What are you—“  
“ATTACK!!!” All of a sudden, three shadows zip into the room, slamming into Raestrao and making him fall to the ground.  
“Get! OFF!” he cries, pushing three demons off of himself.  
“No way! You haven’t had a break in months!”  
“Death by brotherhood!”  
“No more reading!!”  
“I told you that you were in danger.” Erik smiles, and I can’t take my eyes off him. Even looking younger as he does now, he still has this strange magnetism about him.  
The demon who must be Matthew grabs James’ book, looking it over. “How can you read this, Raestrao? It’s all about war strategy! It’s boring!”  
“I have to, Zecaeru—GET OFF!!” James cries.  
“There’s only one thing you need to know about strategy: kill ‘em all! Take no prisoners!” Sam cheers.  
“You sound just like father,” Erik chuckles. I find myself smiling as well. I’d been under the impression that everything in the demon world had been pretty miserable for the boys, but I guess it wasn’t all bad.  
Eventually, James brushes his brothers off of him, getting to his feet. “You all are reckless.”  
“At least we have fun!” Sam sneers.  
“It’s true. You haven’t been with us in weeks!” Erik adds.  
“I’m sure Father won’t mind!” Matthew says.  
“But…I have to—“  
“I know you want to, Raestrao,” Damien teases.  
“Dammit…I—“   
“What is going on here?” And just like that, the happiness is sucked from the room. The Demon Lord walks in, arms crossed, looking pissed. Damien recoils, hiding behind Sam who takes a protective stance. The youngest brother looks so frightened.  
“Nothing. We just passed by each other.” James, looking to protect his brothers….  
“Then why…does your brother have your book?” the Demon Lord intones quietly.  
“I was…showing him what I was learning, Father.” And James, taking the blame.  
“Return to your studies, Raestrao. The rest of you, out of my sight. Do not disturb your brother again.” James picks up his book and leaves the room, the Demon Lord following after glaring at Sam and Damien in particular.  
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way to get him back,” Erik says.  
“I don’t know. He’s on a very tight leash,” Matthew sighs, sounding defeated.  
“Izroul, you’re quiet. What did you hear?” Sam asks.  
“He’s…going to arrange a marriage,” Damien mumbles.  
“A marriage?” Sam shouts. “For who??”  
“He hasn’t decided. It’s a girl from a kingdom he wants to take over.”  
“But…why? Usually he’d just attack with the army?” Erik adds.  
“A marriage….” Matthew says, shaking his head.  
“Raestrao is the eldest!” Damien says, sounding…hopeful? I know he’s not trying to throw James under a bus; he’s just scared. I have a feeling he’s always scared.  
“It would make sense. But a succubus marrying one of us means that she’ll practically be married to all of us.” Erik sighs, and I cross my arms tightly over my chest. Being married to a very powerful sex demon…someone who would be privy to all of their thoughts and feelings and emotions. Someone who would draw a line between the brothers…. Diana….  
Before anyone can say anything, my vision swims, and suddenly, I see older Damien, Sam, and Matthew arguing.  
“How do you know?” Sam snarls.  
“Because I do!” Matthew replies.  
“What is going on here?” James walks into the room, looking at his brothers.  
“They want to go to the human world,” Sam grunts.  
“The human world?” James sounds incredulous.  
“Raestrao, think about it! You won’t have to be the heir or marry that girl! We can make lives for ourselves!”  
“Now you’re just talking nonsense,” Sam spits.  
“I vote that we do it.” Erik steps into the room, and my heart does its usual flipping at the sight of him. He looks like the same age as when he’d shown me the vision from before. This…is this recent? “Think about it! This may be our chance to get away from this. We may be nobles, but we’re still our own beings.”  
I find myself torn at his words. They are their own beings. But they also have responsibilities…especially James who’d been set to rule one day. What would happen if the boys left all of this behind? I stand there, listening as though this were a movie, and not real life, as if this choice hadn’t already happened, hanging on their every word.  
“Raestrao is in,” Damien practically sings.  
“Wha—Izroul!!”  
“How do we get there?” Matthew asks.  
“You don’t even know how to get there?” Sam replies.  
“A simple spell should do it,” Erik interjects. “But it would require someone from the human world to help us get there.”   
“We can ask him!” Matthew shouts.  
“I-I’m not sure—“  
“Raestrao, aren’t you tired of pleasing Father all the time?” Erik knows exactly what buttons to push. I wonder how intuitive he really is or if it’s just born of knowing his brothers so very well.  
“I am, but—“  
“If you stay, you’ll marry that girl and become ruler of Father’s kingdom. You’ll have no time for yourself or with us, and you’ll always be at war. You might turn into the spitting image of Father.”   
James sighs, but Erik’s words almost feel like a blow. They make me tremble, and I can suddenly see James at the head of an army of demons, his brothers at his side, bloodthirsty and battle worn. I bite my lip, taking steadying breaths. No. No. It won’t happen. I already know how this ends. I already know….  
“So, get your head out of your ass, and let’s go!” Sam snaps. “I don’t care if I have to drag your princely ass with us. Who cares what that bastard of a father wants?” Sam’s words make me think of my own father and how I wished I could feel the same way.  
I mentally ask Damien to let me out before I give in to my thoughts, and I’m brought back to the present, my head in Damien’s hands. I open my eyes, blinking back spots to find the boys all looking at me in concern.  
“So, now you know exactly who we are,” James says, sighing.  
I nod, clenching my hands into fists. “Diana is the princess you were arranged to marry,” I whisper, barely trusting my voice. I feel so…weak.  
“Not anymore,” Sam says. “When we left, the arrangement was broken. No prince sons, no marriage deal.”  
“If Diana is here for us, then she’s trying to save her kingdom from being attacked,” Erik says. Part of my brain notices that he’s sitting a little away from me on the bed. He seems…wary.  
“That’s not true. She wants to rule our kingdom. Marrying one of us gives her the right to both.”  
“That…doesn’t seem right,” I mumble, shaking my head. Something isn’t adding up. “I—“ Suddenly, the world spins.  
“I took too much!” Damien cries. “I’m so sorry!” That’s the last thing I hear before I black out.


	17. Sweet Dreams

I sit bolt upright in bed, my head still swimming. Erik jumps, looking at me with wide eyes. “Princess, it’s all right,” he says, reaching a hand out to me. He freezes, hesitating.  
“Erik,” I mumble, staring at his hand. He lets it drop, but I catch it, surprising us both. “Erik.” Suddenly, I’m crying for so many reasons. For him, for me, for his brothers…for Diana….  
“My princess. I’m so sorry.” Erik squeezes my hand, sighing.  
“What for?” I sputter, sniffling as I rein in my tears.  
“For putting you in this situation. Here you are in trouble again, and again, it’s my fault.” He sighs, not looking at me.  
“It’s as much my fault this time,” I say, eyeing our joined hands as his gaze falls on me. “I couldn’t just be the good little human and drink that potion like I was supposed to. Because I couldn’t let you go, I brought myself into this.”  
He’s silent for a while before he slides his hand out of mine. My heart drops, thinking he’s going to back away again, keep his distance to protect me or whatever it is he thinks he’s doing by not being close to me. Instead, he runs a hand through my hair, cupping my face in one hand.  
“Whatever did I do to deserve you?” he asks, eyes wide with wonder and…fear?  
I hold his hand, pressing it against my face. “Lemme know if you figure that out, okay? Because I’ve been asking myself the same question since you flirted your way into my life.” He chuckles, and I smile, closing my eyes as I try to memorize the feel of his hand against my cheek. “I made you laugh. That means I win.”  
“Does it?” he asks. “What would you like as your prize?”  
“A kiss,” I say, opening my eyes to smile at him.  
“As my princess commands,” he replies, leaning in to kiss me gently. I pat the bed beside me when he pulls away, and he settles down next to me. “I’m sorry we kept so much hidden from you.”  
“It’s okay,” I reply. “I swear I’ve said that already today.”  
He sighs. “All right, my dear.” After a moment of silence, he says, “About what Diana said earlier…if you want to know about my…exploits, you need only ask.”  
The way he says it leaves no room for misunderstanding, and I feel my face grow red. “No, Erik. Really, I don’t care to know. What girl wants to know about what her boyfriend did with other girls before her?” I shake my head. “I think that would just make me feel even more…inexperienced?” I shrug. “Diana wasn’t wrong when she called me a virgin.”  
Erik sighs. “Well, in case you’re wondering, so am I.”  
I look up at him and can just see the blush on his face in the low light from the moon shining in through my bedroom window. “How is that possible?” I ask. “You’re a sex demon.”  
“I am, indeed,” he says, “however, as I’ve said before, a touch can sustain me. Casual sex has never been something I was interested in.” A dark look falls onto his face as he says, “Besides, my father had four wives and bedded countless other women. The idea of sex without love wasn’t something that interested me.”  
That dark expression stayed on his face, and I want to ease his mind. I fling my arms around his waist, feeling him suck in a startled breath. After a moment, I let him go, looking up at his face. He’s smiling, and I feel my heart flutter like a baby bird. He takes my face in his hands, kissing me sweetly.  
“That’s also why there’s no rush between us. When we’re ready to be intimate with each other, we can talk about it.”  
I nod, my face burning red. “I like the sound of that.” I lean against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It makes me happy. “You know,” I say, yawning. “I think I’m a little jealous of those other women.”  
“Ah!” I sit up, looking at his stunned face, putting up my hands. “Not because of…stuff. Um.” I’m melting from embarrassment. “Just…well, they got to be part of your life before you even knew I existed. They shared time with you that I’ll never know. I can’t help but be jealous.”  
He chuckles, shaking his head and pulling me close. “You’re so beautiful,” he says, nuzzling my hair.  
“Shut up,” I mumble, and he laughs again.  
He tilts my chin up so I have to meet his lovely purple eyes. “Princess, the time those women had in my life was nothing to be jealous of. It was dull and lifeless, especially compared to every moment I’ve spent in the human world…every moment I’ve spent with you.” My heart beats fast, desperately wanting to believe him.   
“And I hope that you’ll be a part of every moment from now on,” he adds, kissing my forehead.  
I don’t know what to say, so instead, I take his hands in mine, rubbing a thumb over his knuckles. “Erik,” I say.  
“What is it, princess?” he asks.  
“Nothing,” I reply. “I just…wanted to say your name.” I shake my head. “That’s kind of dumb, isn’t it?”  
“Not at all,” he says. “Raina.” My heart leaps into my throat as he says my name, and I feel so overwhelmed with joy.  
“I…I don’t know what to do with all this happiness,” I whisper, squeezing his hands tightly. “It feels like it’ll burst out of me. I’ve never been this happy before.”   
“If I could, I would make you happy like this every second of every day,” Erik says.  
I laugh. “Then I really would explode.” Smiling, I say, “I’d like to share the good and bad with you.”  
He smiles. “If we must,” he says, pretending to sound tired. I giggle, and his eyes go wide. “Why princess….that was adorable.”  
“Ack,” I reply, ducking my head so he can’t see my face. “Go away.”  
With a laugh, he kisses my hair. “Are you sure?”  
“Mm-mm.” I smile at him, my heart so full. Erik and I can take on the world together, it tells me. I hope so. I hope for things I dare not put into words just yet, things I’m afraid to want.  
We stay like that for a while before Erik says, “Well, princess, if you’d like, I can answer any questions you might have about me. James has lifted the ban on speaking about the Demon World.”  
“Is that so?” I reply. “The great arbiter, James, hath decreed!”  
Erik laughs. “Exactly.” With a smile, he says, “He really does look after us.”  
“I know,” I reply. “He’s a good big brother.”  
With a sigh, Erik nods. “Too good, sometimes.”  
There’s another silence, and I think. What do I want to know about Erik?”  
“Favorite color?” I ask him.  
“Red.”  
“I could have guessed that,” I say. It’s the color of his shirt and it was the color of the markings on his demon form and his horns. “Um…favorite human food?”  
“I’m rather fond of cheesecake.”  
“Really?” I smile. “Cheesecake is good. Don’t tell me you like strawberry cheesecake because it’s red.”  
He laughs. “Cherry and strawberry are both delicious.”  
“Geez.” I chuckle, smiling. “Okay. What do I want to know…. Oh. How old are you?” It seems like such a basic question, and yet I’ve never thought about it until now.  
“Well, time flows differently in the human world than in the demon world. Where I would be 110 in my world, that makes me…22?” He pauses, making a show of counting on his fingers. “Yes, that works out.”  
“Wow,” I say, frowning. “Almost five years older than me in human years.” I sit up, trying to process this information. I can’t stop my overly analytical brain from running statistics and all sorts of other unnecessary things.   
“Does it bother you that much?” Erik asks. I look up at him, feeling guilty for the sad look on his face.  
“No, not really. I mean…I just need to process it. I never thought I’d be dating someone that much older than me.” I frown. “I don’t know how demon lifespans work, but human men usually don’t live as long as women, so dating more than a year older never really struck me as a good idea.”  
He nods. “I’m not sure what the mortality rate comparison is either. I’ll have to ask James.”  
“Dang,” I say, laughing. “Don’t tell anyone if they ask how old you are for another few weeks, okay?”  
“Why is that?” he asks.  
“Well, in the human world, it’s not legal for a minor to date someone over eighteen. It’s cool if the parents don’t have any problems, but I can’t imagine my mom would be cool with how much older you are. My birthday is in three weeks, so we just have to hope no one asks before then.”  
“I see,” he replies. “Well, I’ll certainly keep that in mind.”  
I sigh. “Twenty-two. Do I need more reasons to feel inexperienced?” I shake my head. “Look after me, okay, old man?”  
“Old man?” he asks, pretending to be offended. I giggle, and he pulls me into his lap, making me gasp in surprise. He wraps his arms around me, resting his face against the side of my neck. My whole body heats up at his touch, and a million desires race through me as he says, “I promise, I will always look after you.”  
He presses his lips against my neck, and I let out a weird sound. He sucks in a sharp breath, and I bite my lip. “E-Erik,” I murmur, feeling melty. He kisses my neck again, and I bite my tongue to prevent another noise from coming out. What the heck?  
“I should let you get to sleep,” he whispers in my ear.  
“Now that sleeping is the last thing I can think about?” I mutter, only half joking.  
Erik chuckles. “Perhaps tomorrow I can shower you with whatever thoughts are running through your delightful mind,” he says.  
“Erik,” I groan, wriggling out of his arms. “What time is it anyway?” I look over at my clock, sighing. Midnight. That alone is enough to make me yawn. “Okay. Sleep.” Looking up at Erik, I find myself unable to voice the words I want to say.  
“Good night, princess,” he says, kissing my nose. “Sweet dreams.”  
I nod. “Good night, Erik.” He turns to leave, and my hand moves on its own, grabbing his vest from behind. He looks back at me, and I let go immediately. “Ah. S-sorry.”  
“Princess, what is it?”  
“N-nothing.”  
Erik sighs, sliding his arms around me. “I won’t leave until you tell me, my dear.”  
“Then I won’t tell you,” I murmur, not meeting his eyes.   
He chuckles softly. “If you want me to stay with you, you need only ask.”  
“It’s hard,” I say. “I don’t know what it’s okay to want.”  
“Anything,” he replies. “A kiss. A touch. A warm body to hold and be held by while you sleep. I will oblige you anything.”  
“I don’t want to be a bother,” I reply, still not looking at him.  
“You could never bother me,” he says. “I promise.” He tilts my face up so I have to look at him as he asks, “Princess, would you like me to stay with you tonight?”  
I nod. “Please, Erik. Stay with me.”  
“Of course,” he replies.


	18. The Little Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some more direct quotes from the game, care of Michaela Laws, so I hope you guys enjoy!

Try as I might, I can’t get Diana out of my head. As I get dressed, eat breakfast, and try to ignore the goofy looks Erik is giving me in an attempt to distract me, all I can think about is what the boys had shown me last night and Diana’s role in everything. She’s as much a victim in this situation as the boys are. So, does she actually want to marry one of them? If so, then why? Does she want their country? Or…is it just to protect hers? She doesn’t really seem like a bad person. Then again, my ability to judge people is pretty hit or miss.  
Erik sends me off to school with a kiss that makes my heart do a somersault, and I’m ready for business as usual. With any luck, this will be a normal part of my day.  
As I walk into Mrs. Daedalus’ class, I realize I should just stop hoping for normal ever. Diana is standing at the front of the room, arms crossed, smiling in a far too suggestive way for someone in a high school classroom. I quickly walk to my seat, crossing my arms. This…could be bad.   
The bell rings, and Diana claps her hands. “Good morning, class. I’ll be your substitute teacher for the day. Call me ‘Miss Diana’.” She goes over to the desk, sitting on it and crossing her legs. All eyes are riveted on her as she speaks. “Ah, English. English, English, English. What an interesting language. Being able to read and write and speak it is so important in a human society. It’s the easiest way to tell a story.”  
That’s debatable. I hold my tongue, noticing that some of classmates are nodding and smiling at her. She must have them in her thrall. Just great.  
“Maybe your story has a prince and a princess, and they live happily ever after, but what about the people she left behind? What about her friends?” Diana raises an eyebrow, and there’s more nodding. I get the feeling these words…are meant for me. What is she playing at?  
“Take the original story of ‘The Little Mermaid’ for example. Here we have this girl who thinks she can be with a prince. But this prince has to marry a princess. What would have happened if the mermaid had her way? What makes the girl so important that the princess has to suffer the consequences?”  
I KNOW that one is targeted at me. In Diana’s story, she seems to think she’s going to be the princess who ends up with the prince in the end. Unbidden, an image of Erik standing hand in hand with Diana springs into my head, and I shudder. Like hell will that happen.  
Diana smiles at me, but I just glare back at her. She’s a demon, and there’s no one around to keep me safe if she decides to go crazy. I got lucky last time she tried to take my energy. There’s no telling if I’ll be able to resist her enthrallment again, and I have a feeling that’s the least of what she could do to me.  
“It’s so easy to think that the mermaid is the heroine of the story, but what about the princess? Why should she suffer from the actions of the mermaid?” This is crap, I try to tell myself over and over again. I can’t let her get to me. Logic worms its way into my mind. No matter how much she tries to subvert the story, if I just focus on the fairy tale and not real life, I can keep my head in the game.  
Diana smiles, stretching her arms high over her head in an exaggerated gesture. I roll my eyes as she says, “Well, that’s enough about fairy tales. The mermaid’s doom was for the better, after all. I’m sure the prince and princess’ kingdoms flourished and they lived happily ever after.”  
I snort, covering my mouth too late. Diana looks over at me, narrowing her eyes. Shoot. Looking up at the clock, she claps her hands. “All right. Class is over. You can all go home. No school for the rest of the week.”  
Everyone gawks at her, surprised, just at the intercom pings on overhead. “All students are dismissed from classes,” a voice says. It sounds like the principal. “There will be no school for the rest of the week. Class will resume as normal on Monday.”  
My classmates all get out of their seats, marching like zombies…even Synthia and Anna. I stay, my hands clenched in fists on the desktop. When everyone is gone, I get to my feet, not meeting Diana’s eyes.  
“The story is about the mermaid,” I mutter.  
“What?” her voice still sounds sweet and syrupy. There’s no way she still thinks she can charm me after yesterday.  
“The story IS about the mermaid. Whether you like it or not, she’s the heroine. If you want a story about the princess, you make it yourself.” I look into her eyes to find them narrowed at me in distaste. “This story, right here and right now? This is MY story. I’m not the mermaid, and I’m not the princess. I’m just an average girl, trying to make her own way. The way other people move around me is NOT my fault.”  
“Not your fault? Don’t make me laugh. Do your actions not influence people?”  
I cross my arms. “No. The way other people feel about my actions influences them. Once again, it has nothing to do with me.”  
She narrows her eyes. “You’re just mincing words.”  
“And you’re not listening.” I glare at her, my temper making me careless. “It doesn’t matter to me what you want. You aren’t the heroine of MY story. Whatever happens from here on out, I’m in charge. I’m tired of letting other people decide what I should do. No one makes this choice but me.”  
“Who do you think you are, little human?” Diana snaps, and I feel her magic tickle at the edge of my consciousness. “You’re just some random girl in a bad position. What could you possibly have to offer a demon prince?”  
And that’s the real question. What do I have to offer Erik? I don’t have anything special that other girls don’t also have. I’m not particularly pretty or funny. I’m kind of smart but nothing to brag about. How…can I compare to this gorgeous woman in front of me?  
But…Erik chose me.  
Diana sees my hesitation and leaps on the chance. She walks toward me, and I feel shivers run down my spine. Taking my chin in her hand, she forces me to look right into her unnerving, red eyes. “Humans are weak and faithless. What can you possible give your man that I can’t?”  
Love is the first thing that pops into my head, but I bite back the word. It sounds so weak in comparison to the magic of demons. Besides, I don’t even have the courage to tell Erik that I love him. What claim did I even have over him?  
“Think about that, dearie.” She snaps her fingers, and my vision goes dark. When it comes back, I’m in my room at home.  
“Dammit!” I scream, kicking my bed. “Dammit dammit dammit dammit!” I grab the pillow from my bed and scream my feelings into it for a solid minute before a knock on my window catches my attention. It slides up and Erik climbs in, looking concerned.   
“Princess, what happened? Why are you home?” I reach my hands out to him, and he pulls me into his arms, stroking my head. After a moment, I finally calm down enough to trust myself with words.  
“Diana came to school. She pretended to teach some bull crap class and then gave us the week off from school. She tried to intimidate me and then sent me here.” I step away from him, running my hands over my face. “She made me so mad!” With a sigh, I look up at Erik. “I probably shouldn’t have provoked her, but…grr.”  
“I’m just glad she didn’t do anything to you,” Erik says, taking both of my hands in his.   
“Me too,” I say. Taking a deep breath, I squeeze Erik’s hands. “You’re not going to like this, but I think you guys need to talk to her.” He doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “If she faces opposition from all five of you at the same time, maybe she’ll give up.”  
“She won’t,” Erik says, sighing. “It would take something very large to make her leave us be.”  
“We have to do something,” I reply. “At this rate, I’m going to shoot my mouth off and she’s going to kill me for sheer impudence. She’s probably not above killing some pesky human to get her way.” I kind of regret saying that. Erik’s face grows very dark, and his eyes look really distant.  
“I won’t let that happen,” he says. “I promise, I will protect you.”  
I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I trust you, Erik. I’ll do my best to keep from provoking her unnecessarily.”  
Erik nods before forcing a smile. “All right, my princess.” With a sigh, he says, “I’ll let my brothers know what you want to do. If we decide to confront her, I’ll come get you.”  
“Thank you,” I say to Erik with a smile.  
“Princess, what would you do?”  
“What?”  
“In my position…in my brothers’ positions. What would you do?”  
Me…I knew exactly what the old me would have done. I would have given myself up. I would have ruined my only chance at happiness to make other people happy. I’ve spent my entire life being a door mat, letting people walk all over me.  
But…ever since I met Erik, I’ve felt more alive than ever, happier than I even knew possible. Could I still give that up to make others happy? I don’t know. What makes my life more important than anyone else’s?  
“I don’t want to lose you,” is what comes out of my mouth. My face goes red, and I take a step back from Erik. “I’m sorry. It’s…it’s your choice. I don’t think there’s a good enough reason for you to give this up, this freedom you’ve fought for. But…do what you think is right.”  
He nods, smiling. “I’ll be right back, my princess.”  
“Okay.” I curse myself as he climbs right back out of the window to find his brothers. What will I do if Erik leaves me? He’d been so vehement in his denial to Diana before, but I hadn’t expected him to ask me what I thought. I wish he hadn’t. I want to be selfish. I want to keep him in my life. Haven’t I given up enough? All I can think of is what Diana asked me earlier today: Who do I think I am?

Before Erik gets back, someone knocks on my bedroom door. “Raina?” That’s my mom. Shoot. How do I explain why I’m home right now?  
I open the door, and she looks at me, surprised, but tired-looking. The night shift was not her favorite. “Hi, Mom.”  
“What are you doing home?” she asks, concerned.   
“They let us out early and cancelled classes for the rest of the week.”  
“What? Why?”  
“They didn’t tell us,” I reply, realizing that my car is still at school. Friggin’ fudge. With a sigh, I say, “Things start back up like normal on Monday.”  
She frowns. “All right.”  
“You really believe me? I was thinking it’d be hard to tell you.”  
My mom smiles through her weariness. “If you were going to skip school, you wouldn’t come home where I could find you. You’re smarter than that.”  
I laugh, feeling a fresh burst of love for my mom. That’s when it occurs to me to ask her what to do. “Hey, mom?”  
“Hm?” My mom went through some serious stuff as a kid. Her father abused her ten times worse than anything I went through, and she was kicked out of the house as soon as she graduated from high school which is probably why, broken and bruised as she was, she fell so willingly into my dad’s arms.  
He was charming, seemed smart, and could talk his way around anything. He must have seemed like the polar opposite of her own father. It wasn’t until she was in too deep that she learned he did drugs. After she had my brother, he started hitting her and abusing her sexually. It took her a long time to eventually decide to take my brother and I and leave, starting her own life on her own terms. Twelve years later and here we were, living on our own and happy.  
Much like the boys’, she left her situation to make things better for herself. If anyone can help me, it’s her.  
“I’m writing a story,” I tell her, knowing she’ll believe it. I’ve done enough writing lately, shown her enough of my works. “And there’s this character whose dad was psychologically and physically abusive. He left his whole life behind to start new somewhere, but someone is trying to get him to go back. She says if he doesn’t people will suffer. What should he do?”  
Mom crosses her arms, thinking. I know she’s seeing the same parallels I am between her story and the one I’m telling her, and I know that she’s genuinely mulling it over. After a long moment, she says, “If you only think about other people all the time, you’ll never be happy, and your happiness matters. Your character got himself out of a bad situation. There’s no reason good enough to go back. He can’t let someone guilt him into it. Never apologize for leaving a situation to make yourself happier. Your happiness is important too.”  
Tears prick at my eyes as I think about Mom telling me her story. I can see her as a young child being abused. I see her as barely an adult being abused as well. And I know that when I told her my own problems, I hurt her. She saw herself in me, but this time, she didn’t have to suffer in silence. My beautiful, brave, strong mother.   
“I know, Mom. I agree. I think my character will be happier that way. As for the people he’s leaving behind…they’ll have to manage without him.”  
She nods. “What if he goes back and is so miserable that he kills himself or makes himself sick or any number of things that make him useless back home anyway?”  
“Good points,” I say, trying not to think that far. A world without Erik isn’t a world I want to live in. “Thanks, Mom.” I give her a huge hug, and she holds me tightly.  
“That’s my girl.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too. Now turn down whatever you had on in here earlier. I’m trying to sleep.” My face goes bright red as I realize she meant my conversation with Erik earlier. My laptop is thankfully open, even if it isn’t actually on. She probably thinks it’s just sleeping.   
“Sure thing,” I say. “Sorry about that. Sleep well.” She waves at me as she turns away, heading back to her room. I close the door, sighing. That was close.  
There’s a knocking on my window, and I rush over, throwing up the pane to see Erik staring at me. “Shh. Mom heard me earlier,” I say to his startled face. I quickly kiss his cheek, making him blush. “I’ll meet you outside by the basement.”  
“All right,” he says, smiling and kissing me in return before backing away so I can shut the window. I dash out of my room, tiptoeing past my mom’s bedroom and downstairs. When my foot touches the last step, I dash outside, colliding with Erik who pulls me into his arms, swinging me around.  
“Erik!” I say, breathless and surprised.  
“Hello,” he replies, like he didn’t just do something goofy.  
“What’s the sitch?” I ask. When he frowns, I say, “Sorry. The situation. What’s our plan?”  
“The others have grudgingly agreed to meet with Diana, but we’ll do it later tonight, when your family has gone to sleep.”  
“All right,” I say, nodding. That will give me time to get my head together. “Erik, I wanted to tell you….”  
“Yes, princess?” He rubs small circles on my back with the thumb on his hand resting at my waist. It’s a nice feeling.  
“I’m really glad you left the Demon World, and not just because it meant I got to meet you.” I run my fingers through the part of his hair that covers his eye, focusing on that instead of his far-too-sincere eyes. “You gave yourself a chance at happiness that you couldn’t have had there. I…don’t think there’s a good enough reason to throw that away. You deserve to be happy. You and your wonderful brothers.”  
Erik takes my hand that’s still in his and draws it to his lips. He kisses my wrist, my palm, and then my fingertips. My face burns bright red at his tenderness. I want it more and more with each passing moment I spend with this incredible person.  
“My princess,” he says. “Thank you for your tremendously kind words. You can have no idea just how much it means to me to hear you say those things. My brothers and I…the choice we made was not made lightly. I know it still weighs on our hearts in different ways, but not once have we regretted it. I will do everything in my power to keep us here, safe and happy.”  
“I’m glad,” I say. “I…really care for all of you so much.” I’d almost said love. “Your brothers are so much fun to be around, and you make me so happy. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help, but I won’t let that…woman…take you without your consent.” I shrug. “I know I’m just a human, but I can’t for a moment believe that there’s nothing I can do.”  
Erik smiles, dropping my hand and pulling me close against him. “Merely by being here, you do more for all of us than you will ever know.” He kisses me, his lips warm and soft. I melt into his touch, and I feel his enthrallment tickling at the edges of my consciousness. When I kiss him again, it falls over me, surprising me and making me moan before I can control myself. He slides his tongue into my mouth, his hands digging at my waist.  
Burying my hands in his hair, I pull a little, and he groans, making my heart jump to my throat. He trails kisses up my neck, and I have to bite my tongue to prevent more weird sounds from escaping. It’s so hard to hold them back. Erik gently nips at my neck, and I whimper from pleasure.  
“Mm,” he mumbles.   
“Erik,” I whisper.  
He chuckles in my ear, and I let out another weird noise that makes Erik shudder. Does he like those? He starts kissing me again until my phone goes off. His enthrallment falls away as quickly as it came, and I suddenly feel exhausted.  
“Gives a whole new meaning to feeling lightheaded from kissing,” I say, smiling at Erik, feeling a little shy. He grins, and I know my whole face is red as I turn away, grabbing my phone. “It’s Ben,” I say. “He wants me to take him home. Oh, that’s right. My car is still at school.”  
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to go get it,” Erik says. “Here, hold on to me.” He offers me his hand, and I take it. Saying a few strange words, a light engulfs us, and suddenly we’re at my school, standing in front of my car.   
“I’ll get used to magic eventually,” I say, sighing. “Thank you, Erik.”  
He bows, smiling. “Of course.”


	19. Won't Back Down

I’m holding tightly to Erik’s hand, the others around me in the basement of my house, feeling so nervous that I can barely keep myself together. What kind of idiot am I to invite my enemy into my own home? She’s been so cruel to me, and she wants to rip my world out from under my feet. Still, I can’t shake the image of that scared, crying woman I’d first met from my mind. She’d been so vulnerable in those moments. Where is that woman, and who is here now?  
It’s with that thought in my heart that I smile at Erik when he asks me if I’m ready. All of the brothers nod their agreement, and then James calls for Diana. There’s a seductive laugh that floats through the air, and then Diana appears, smiling. Erik mutters a spell that I know is sound-proofing this room and making it impossible for my family to enter.  
“Well, hello,” Diana purrs, looking at all of the brothers. “Little did I think you’d call for me. To what do I owe the honor.”  
“We need to talk,” James says, “because you need to go back to the Demon World.”  
“Is that so?” Diana smiles. “Well, I hope you’ve all come to your senses and are coming back with me.”  
“No, Diana,” Erik says. “You’ll be going back alone.”  
“So cute,” Diana says smiling. “But that isn’t going to happen.”  
“Why can’t you just leave us the fuck alone?” Sam snaps.  
“Seriously?” Matthew asks. “We’re happy here.”  
“Happy? HAPPY? Do you have any idea what’s been happening since you five so selfishly left the Abyssal Plains? Our world is in chaos, and it’s ALL YOUR FAULT!” Diana screams. “What right do you have to be happy when you’ve ruined the lives of so many?”  
There’s a heavy silence in the room, weighing on all of us like lead. Finally, Damien speaks up. “Why do all of those people matter, but we don’t?”  
Thank God for Damien. He looks over at me, encouraged by my thoughts, and I really want to hug him right now. That was the perfect question to ask.  
Diana looks hurt at his words, and I feel it again, that strange sense that she’s not doing this because she wants power. There’s something more. That’s when it hits me. All she cares about are all of the people left behind. This isn’t the first time she’s mentioned responsibility and those hurt by the boys’ departure.   
She has people she wants to protect, and this is the only way she can see to do that. Yet, there must be another way. Why does my world have to break for hers to be whole? It isn’t fair…. Why do we have to hurt?  
Tears form in my eyes, and Erik looks at me, concerned. “Princess?” he whispers.  
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, looking from Erik to Diana. “I’m so sorry.”  
“Sorry?” Diana laughs. “Are you pitying me, human?”  
“Both of us.” I drop Erik’s hand to brush my tears out of my eyes. “When you came here, you were hurting so much.”  
“When I came here, all that mattered to me was bringing these assholes back to their world. That’s still all that matters.” Diana glares at me. “Save your pity for someone else, you arrogant fool.”  
I wish I could bring back the anger I’d felt for her yesterday, but all I can think about is who or what she’s trying to protect and why she would sacrifice her own happiness for it. I know this isn’t what she wants, especially not for herself. Here she is, standing as though the world is on her shoulders.  
“Watch your mouth, Diana,” Erik snarls at her. I look up at him, not liking the look on his face. It’s like all the anger I had earlier today has found its way to my incubus along with all of his own anger for the things this woman has done and is trying to do to him and his brothers.  
“You have no power here, and you’re growing weaker with each moment you spend in the human world,” he continues.   
“Please,” she snarls. “I can find any worthless human and steal their energy. I could make them beg for it just as I can make you all beg to come home with me.”  
“Just try it, bitch!” Sam spits.  
She casts her eyes over to him with a disgusted look before settling back on me again. “What makes this pathetic girl so worth staying here?”  
“Do not insult my princess again,” Erik growls, his whole body growing tense. Is he going to fight her? No, no, no. This can’t happen. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Suddenly, a long-buried memory of my dad fighting one of our neighbors to protect my brother and me springs into my head. At the time, we’d hidden in the bathroom, unable to do anything. Things won’t be the same now.  
“Or you’ll what?” Diana asks. “Hurt me in front of your pet human? She’s trembling at the very thought of us breaking into violence.” Diana laughs. “How pathetic.”  
Erik takes a step forward, but I grab his arm. “Erik,” I beg. He doesn’t look at me, which scares me. “Don’t.”  
He sighs. “We’re done here. Get out.”  
“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Diana asks.  
“It’s over.” Erik turns away from her, running a hand over his face. I can’t take my eyes off of Diana, however as her face loses its composure and suddenly she’s emanating pure rage. It hits me in a wave as she raises her hand, something black forming in her palm.  
“No!” I scream as she goes to throw it at Erik’s back. Before I even fully understand what I’m doing, my body moves, launching myself at her. Our bodies collide, and we fall back, her head hitting the concrete wall of the basement with a solid CRACK! We both sink to the ground as does the black ball she’d been holding.  
It spreads instantly, pulling the two of us down, down, down into its depths.

It’s so dark. The whole world is just blackness, like the way it looks in a cave with no lights, except for two things: I can see myself and I can see Diana. She doesn’t look like she’s conscious. I crawl over to her, focusing on her body and not the fact that there isn’t any ground underneath me. Just black. Was this where she was going to send Erik?  
I listen for her heartbeat, and once I hear it, I’m satisfied that she’s alive. That’s one problem solved. However, we’re in this dark, terrifying place, and I don’t know how to get out or if we even can. I sit back on my heels, looking around and instantly regretting it. This is the most terrifying place I could ever imagine, even in my worst nightmares.  
A shiver races up my spine, and I let out a gasp. My vision blurs, and I feel my pulse spike. Alone. I’m all alone. It’s only me and the darkness.   
“No!” I shout, looking down at Diana. What is this place? It’s like it takes my fears and magnifies them by a hundred. I can’t let myself get distracted or I’ll lose my mind. I want to scream at Diana, to smack her smug face for trying to send Erik here. His back was turned even! What kind of person attacks someone with their back turned?  
“Damn you!” I shout at her prone form as the darkness threatens to encroach again. “No,” I whisper. I can’t let this break me. I can’t let Diana win.  
“’Je veux juste une derniere danse’,” I sing, thinking of Erik. “’Avant l’hombre et l’indifference’.” The song makes the darkness abate a little, but despite how much I love that song, it’s hard to think in French. “’Take me as I am. Put your hand in mine now and forever. Darling here I stand, stand before you now. Deep inside I always knew’.” I keep singing, fighting back the darkness with every word.   
I’m through three songs before a voice makes me jump. “Princess?”  
“Erik!” I cry, looking around. There’s a light not too far above me, but it doesn’t illuminate a thing in this darkness.  
“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice breathless.  
“I’m okay,” I say, nearly choking on the words.  
“Princess, I’m going to get you out of there.”  
Thank God. “What do I have to do?”  
“Take my hand,” he says, and suddenly his hand comes through the whole in the darkness, reaching out.  
“What about Diana?” I ask.  
“I can only take one of you at a time,” he replies. “Take my hand, and then we’ll get Diana next.”  
I take a step toward Erik before freezing, looking back at Diana’s prone form. What if he doesn’t come back for her? I can’t exactly make him, and I really wouldn’t blame him for leaving her. It’s tempting even to me, but…as pissed as I am at her right now, I can’t leave her behind.  
I drag her body over to where Erik is waiting and lift her hand. “Okay!” I shout as I place her wrist in his hand. He pulls, and her body disappears into the light that immediately disappears when she’s gone. Now, I really am alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who might be curious, the first song she sings is "Derniere Danse" by Kyo. Yes, it's in French. The second one is "Will You Still Love Me" by Chicago.


	20. Limbo

Erik:  
I knew something was wrong the moment I started pulling, but it was too late. Instead of my princess coming through the portal I’d made, it’s Diana instead. She’s not conscious but definitely still alive.  
“No!” I shout, reaching for my magic again. I have to save Raina.  
“Erik,” stop, James says, his hand landing on my shoulder. “You can’t overextend yourself or you won’t be able to save Raina at all.”  
“James!” I shout, whirling around and grabbing the front of his shirt. “I can’t lose her. She’s all alone, probably scared witless. I…I can’t lose her. You don’t understand….”  
“I do, Erik. Maybe not in the same way but…we’ve all grown so fond of her in this short time. She risked herself to save you, and there’s no way any of us can repay her for that.”  
“For real,” Matthew says. “She’s totally amazing. She dove at Diana who’s one of the strongest demons we know.”  
“Without hesitating,” Damien adds. “All she was thinking of was protecting you. You have no idea how often you’re in her head.” He smiles. “Actually, she thinks about all of us and our well-being more than her own.”  
“She’s a lot tougher than she looks,” Sam says. “I’d hate to piss her off.”  
“We want her back as much as you do, and we WILL get her back,” James says. “And after what she did for you today…she will always be welcome wherever we are.”  
I take a sharp breath, tearing up at my brothers’ incredibly kind words. Nothing could make me happier than the idea that they accept and care for her nearly as much as I do. Taking deep, slow breaths, I wipe my eyes. Raina is fighting her own battle right now, and I have to be strong for her. Strong enough to bring her back. I refuse to lose her like this. She’s become the light in my otherwise dark life, the warm spring after a cold, bitter winter.  
“Shit.” Sam moves over to where Diana is stirring. She sits up, and Sam pins her with a glare. “Don’t move.”  
Diana looks around with wide eyes, looking dazed. “What happened?”  
“You tried to attack Erik, but Raina stopped you,” Damien says, stepping up beside Sam, crossing his arms. I knew Damien cared strongly for Raina. Her kindness and brave heart despite all of her pain drew him to her much as it had me. It’s incredible to see him connect with someone other than his family. More reasons to save her. As if I need them.  
“Raina.” Diana looks to me, panic in her eyes. “But where is she?”  
“You both went to the limbo you were so graciously going to send me to,” I snarl at her. “However, I managed to break through. I could only pull one of you out at a time, so Raina chose to have me save you first.” I want to hurt her so strongly that the feeling almost scares me. The only thing stopping me is the fact that Raina saved her, more than once. Raina’s golden heart is going to get us in trouble, I just know it, but at the same time, I trust her implicitly. I would rather face problems with her a million times than change a single thing about this amazing woman that I love more than life itself.   
It’s funny, really. I’d spent my entire life believing love to just be a myth. My father bedded five women who at one point believed themselves enamored of him. He hurt them, but they could never leave him. My own mother cared more for the power that came with her position than her own happiness. Her world view was the reason for my own jaded attitude.   
My life had been nothing but court masks, lies, and posturing for so long that I’d forgotten who I really was. When my brothers and I had left home, we had no plan. Nothing about the way I saw the world changed. It wasn’t until Raina came into our lives that I started seeing the world differently.  
Here was this average human girl who emanated kindness from every pore. She was funny, smart, and so very generous. When I’d seen her playing with her own brother on that soccer field, I could see how important family was to her. Her interaction with her mother echoed that feeling. Letting my brothers and myself stay in her home showed a kindness I didn’t expect to find after the position we’d put her in. When she woke up crying from her nightmare, I saw even deeper into who she was.  
Despite all that she’s suffered through, she’s still standing strong. I know she’ll make it through this too, and this time, I know for a fact that I’ll be here with her. My princess.  
“That stupid, stupid girl!” Diana punches the ground with her fist. “That limbo is complete and utter darkness. It will tear her human mind to shreds! You must get her out of there!”  
“Don’t you think I know that?” I snap at her. “If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t even be here. If she weren’t so selfless, you’d be the one stuck in limbo right now!” Diana looks like someone slapped her. I turn away, looking to James. I extend my hand to him, and he runs a hand over it, making sure I have enough magic.  
“All right, Erik,” he tells me. “Save her.”


	21. And Don't Come Back

“’Oh, girl, just stand by me. I’m forever yours, faithfully’.” My voice cracks on the last word as the darkness rushes in.   
Light breaks through the darkness, and I hear a voice call my name. “Raina!”  
“Erik!” I scream, grabbing onto his hand and letting him pull me back into the light.  
I collapse into his arms, shaking and sobbing my soul out. “Princess,” he breathes into my hair. “My princess.”  
“Erik,” I sob. “It was so dark.”  
“I know. I’m so sorry.” He kisses my head over and over. “Princess, don’t ever do that again.” He looks into my eyes, brushing my hair out of my eyes and wiping away my tears. “I can’t lose you.” His voice breaks, and I grab his face, kissing him hard.  
“I’m sorry, Erik. I-I can’t promise you that.” His face falls, and I shake my head. “What would I do if I lost you?” I touch his face, smiling faintly despite how weak I feel. “Somehow, you’ve become my life.” His face goes red, but his eyes are filled with an overwhelming amount of emotion.  
“I was so worried about you,” he whispers, pulling me close. “How did you keep your mind in there?”  
“I sang all the songs I want to sing to you one day,” I tell him, smiling. He looks at me, surprised, before laughing.  
“I look forward to hearing every single one,” he replies, kissing me again.  
“I’ll get back to you on that,” I reply, smiling, my own face burning red at the thought of singing all those embarrassing love songs to him.   
“You staved off the darkness of limbo by singing?!” James asks, incredulous. “That’s….”  
“Amazing,” Damien finishes.  
“I wouldn’t have lasted any longer. Erik came for me right when….” I shudder, and Erik pulls me closer.  
“It’s okay,” he whispers. “You’re all right now.” I nod, taking slow, deep breaths. There’s movement behind me, which is when I remember: Diana.  
I step away from Erik, whirling around to find her standing there, eyes on me, looking as surprised as James had sounded. I walk straight to her, raising my hand and slapping her so hard that my hand burns from the force of it. She staggers back, eyes wide. The room is dead silent.  
“How dare you. How DARE YOU, YOU BITCH!” I scream. “I invited you into my home, gave you the benefit of the doubt, and made this whole thing happen today. And how do you pay me back? By attacking my boyfriend while his BACK is turned. How…how dare you.” My voice drops to a whisper as the rage pours through me. “I saved you from that dark, dark place. I…SAVED you.” My voice breaks on the word “saved”, and I swallow, hating that I cry when I’m supremely pissed. “Get out of my house.”  
“I—“  
“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” She stares at me, eyes wide with shock. I can see it in her eyes, the defeat she feels. “Don’t you even think about coming back here, do I make myself clear?”  
She nods, snapping her fingers. “Fine. Vale.” A purple pentagram forms beneath her feet, and she slowly sinks down into it, her face a neutral mask. Despite how much she tried to hide it, I’d seen the sorrow in her eyes.  
When she’s gone, I fall to my knees, sobbing so hard that I can’t breathe. I scream out my feelings, so angry and sad and still reeling from the darkness that had tried to take me. Erik’s arms come around me, and I grab onto him so tightly, shaking and sobbing. He says nothing, merely rubbing my back and holding me.  
My sobbing recedes, and I’m just crying now when I hear Erik humming. I take slow, deep breaths, trying to listen. It’s “Dernière Danse”, the French song I showed him the first time we went out together…the day he found out about my anxiety. The first song I sang in that dark, dark place.  
Oh, Erik. He hums it, and I follow along in my head, calming myself down with his voice. When he gets to my favorite part, he whispers in perfectly accented French, “Merci d’avoir enchanté ma vie.”   
“Erik,” I breathe, my voice barely coming out.  
“Ma chérie,” he whispers. “Ma belle chérie.”  
“Have you been holding out on me?” I ask him as his perfect French warms my heart. Language of love indeed.  
He chuckles. “I might know a bit more French than I’ve been letting on.”  
“Any other languages you’re holding on to there?”  
“Italian as well,” he replies.  
“Damn incubi. You would know those languages.”  
He grins, and I can tell he’s relieved by my tone. “All the better to seduce you with.” He kisses me gently, and I smile. That’s when I look up, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed, but no one is here. The other brothers have left us to have our time alone.  
“I’m sorry that I got myself into so much trouble today. And, I’m sorry I invited her here in the first place. You almost got hurt, and I almost….” I can’t even think about it….  
“It’s all right, princess. You saw the good in her that my brothers and I couldn’t.”  
“And it could have gotten us killed.”  
“Princess,” Erik says taking my face in his hands. “Diana may be powerful, but she could never take the five of us. You are so beautiful, my dear.”  
“And stupid.” I sigh, getting to my feet.   
“Don’t.” He takes my hands in mine, making me look at him. “Don’t think for even a second that what you did was stupid. You tried to solve a problem using your words, and it nearly worked. I saw her faltering with everything you said. You also put yourself in danger to save both me and Diana. No one outside of my brothers would have done that for me, and not even they would have put Diana before themselves.” He kisses my forehead, resting his head against mine. “You have more courage than anyone I know. Unlike my brothers and I, you’re facing this, head-on. And, you forced us to do the same. Thank you. Thank you so much.”  
“Erik,” I whisper, my heart so full of love for him that I can hardly stand it. “All the thanks I need is you in my life.” Resting my head on his chest, I say, “Erik, will you stay with me tomorrow? I’m not so sure I should be alone right now.”  
He nods. “Whatever you ask of me. I am yours.”  
I love you. Even after all of this, I can’t say it. Oh, Erik.  
“And I’m yours.”  
...  
I wake up sweating and immediately get out of bed, trying not to bother Erik. Scurrying out of my room, I run into the bathroom, turning on the light and trying to slow my breathing. The darkness….  
I splash water in my face, looking into the mirror. I’m still here, still me. The darkness from before had invaded my dreams, trying to…I don’t know. It felt like it was trying to consume me. After spending a few more minutes in the light, I walk out heading downstairs. As much as I’d like Erik to comfort me, I can’t go back into that darkness just yet. It wouldn’t be fair to wake him anyway.  
I open the door in the basement leading outside and am surprised to find someone standing at the edge of the concrete apron. He turns when I open the door, his golden eyes falling on me. For a moment, I’m frozen in James’ gaze, but he smiles, and it’s like a spell is broken.  
“Good evening,” he says as I walk over to him.  
“Hey,” I reply, looking up at the bright moon.  
“Can’t sleep?”  
“Ah.” I look at him, shuddering as I remember. “Yeah. Kind of.” He raises an eyebrow, and I sigh. “It’s…it’s like the …darkness from before is still trying to get into my head. I can’t get rid of it.”  
“I see.” He frowns, casting his eyes to my bedroom window. “If you don’t mind, I can take a look into your subconscious to see if I can’t get rid of the rest of it.”  
“Anything to make it go away.”  
“It will cost me a bit of energy, so I’ll need to take some of yours.”  
“That’s fine. You just need a touch, right?” He nods, and I smile. “All right.”  
He puts his hands on either side of my head, closing his eyes. I close mine and he says something in what I decide must be Latin, that same language Erik had been using for spells, and a sharp pain digs into my skull. I bite my tongue, balling my hands into fists as jolt after jolt hits me, making me tear up. It hurts so much. Everything is pain. I want to scream, to cry out, to beg James to stop, but I don’t. What feels like eons passes, and then…nothing. No pain. No darkness. Just…me.  
I open my eyes as James releases my head. He stumbles back, but I grab his arm to steady him. He’s panting, looking warily at me. I feel him drain a bit of my energy through where we’re touching. When the feeling stops, I let go.  
“You never cease to impress me.” James sighs, shaking his head. “Did you really just sing while you were in limbo?”  
Limbo? “Yeah. It was hard to focus, but singing managed to keep me okay until Erik came for me.”  
James smiles wryly. “There was so much darkness in you just now that I don’t know how you’ve been functioning.”  
I stare at him in surprise. “Are you serious?”  
“Completely.”  
“Then maybe I didn’t do so well after all.”  
“On the contrary. It’s even more impressive that you’ve been fighting it all this time.” He frowns. “I am very sorry that I hurt you.”  
“It’s okay,” I reply. “I’ll live. Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome.” There’s silence for a moment before he says, “Really, I should be the one thanking you. I’m not sure if you realize what all you risked in protecting my brother as you did.”  
“I think I’m understanding more and more, but I didn’t even think before acting. I know I’m just a human. Erik said you guys could have handled Diana, but…I’m tired of the people I care for getting hurt and being unable to do anything about it.”  
James smiles at me, and I feel warmer at his gaze. “I don’t know how much you know about my brothers and me, but you’ve seen our father. We became very close due to our circumstances, and we would do anything for each other. Not once have we found someone else who would do the same until now.” James’ eyes bore into me as he says, “I wasn’t sure about your relationship with Erik at first, but you’ve more than proven yourself, at least to me, by your selfless actions today.”  
I can’t stop the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes at his words. “I swear, I don’t usually cry so much,” I mumble, laughing. “I just…that means a lot to me. I really like you guys. You’re like the brothers I wish I had. I love both of my brothers, but…our shared experiences and lack thereof have shaped our relationships poorly. It’s hard with what we’ve been through and….” I raise my hands helplessly. “I want to get to know you all better and to spend more time with all of you.”  
James nods. “I understand your feelings entirely. In case you’re wondering, we feel the same way.”  
I laugh. “I’m so glad.” James adjusts his glasses, and I smile. “I hope you don’t find this rude, but you remind me of myself.”  
“Not at all,” he says with a smile. “Though, I am curious. How so?”  
“Well, for a start, that is exactly how I fix my glasses.” He chuckles, making me smile. I’d thought James was intimidating, but talking to him now puts me at ease. “Erik told me you like to read too.”  
“I do,” James replies. “I did see you have a fair collection of books in your room.”  
“And that’s just the ones on my bookshelf; there are more in my closet. Anyway, you’re welcome to borrow anything as long as you treat it well and return it.”  
“That’s very kind of you, miss. I may just take you up on that offer.”  
I smile “I hope so. I have the Harry Potter books that are what the movies we watched the other day are based on, too. They’re meant for young adults and kids, but they’re a good read regardless of age.”  
He laughs. “All right, all right. You sell them well.”  
“Oops.” I feel a blush spreading across my face. “Sorry. I know I talk too much.”  
“Not at all,” he says, his golden eyes alight with amusement. It’s nice to see a smile after everything we’ve been through lately.  
“There’s one more thing…the way you carry yourself as if the weight of the world rests on your shoulders.” His eyes go wide, and I shrug. “Maybe it comes from having people you feel responsible for, people you want to protect.” He doesn’t say anything, and I start feeling self-conscious. “I’m sorry. It was rude of me to presume as much.”  
“Please, don’t apologize,” he says at last. “It’s only that once again you’ve surprised me. I’m not used to being seen through so easily.” He gives me a strange smile as he says, “You’re exactly right, I think. It’s a weight born of having people to look after.”  
“On the bright side, I’d rather have that weight and those people.”  
His golden eyes hold mine as he says, “As would I.”  
A silence falls between us laced with feelings I can’t begin to understand. His gaze is so focused on me that I feel like we’re the only people in the world, and fear trips down my spine before I push it away. James wouldn’t hurt me. If I’ve learned anything from this conversation, it’s that James thinks highly of me. That’s something I won’t forget.  
“A-anyway,” I stutter, breaking the silence. “I should get to bed. Thanks for talking to me.”  
“Anytime,” he replies. I turn to go back into the house when he grabs my hand. I freeze, looking back at him in surprise. He doesn’t say anything, merely holds my hand in his for a moment that seems to last forever. Finally, he releases it. “Forgive me. Good night, Raina.” And, with no explanation, he walks into the house, closing the door behind him.  
...  
James  
I almost did something so incredibly stupid that I would never have forgiven myself. Standing in the darkness of the room she’d let my brothers and I share, I look at my hand, still warm from where it had held hers. I hold it up before my face, catching her scent, faintly. So faintly.   
Dropping my hand, I shake myself before laying down to sleep. It would have been so simple, the start and end of everything.


	22. Triggers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of quoting from Seduce Me the Otome again here, courtesy of the wonderful Michaela Laws. Other than that, enjoy!

My alarm goes off at 6:30, and I jump out of bed, smacking my clock. I open a dresser drawer to get changed when a voice says, “Princess?”  
“Erik,” I reply, yawning.   
“You don’t have school today. Diana cancelled classes for the week, didn’t she?”  
Oh. That’s right. “Thank goodness,” I sigh, crawling back into bed. Erik pulls me close, snuggling into my neck.  
“Sleep. You deserve it,” he whispers in my ear, and I drift off.  
Forgetting that I have a phone alarm set for 6:45. I would have thrown my phone across the room if Erik hadn’t taken it from me, shutting off that alarm and the other four I have for when I inevitably sleep through the first two. There are no words for how grateful I am to him right now.  
The next time I wake, it’s to a text from Anna at 10:15. It takes me a few tries to process what she’s saying, but when I do, I jump out of bed, nearly falling right back down from dizziness. “Man,” I grumble.  
“What is it, princess?” Erik asks me.  
“Anna’s on her way over here. Apparently, she’s decided that we need to work on our projects for English today.”  
“Should I leave then?”  
“No, you’re fine,” I say. “Though, it won’t exactly be that exciting for you to watch us work on things, so you can leave if you want.”  
“Not at all, my dear. I told you I’d stay with you today. Besides, I think it will be fun to watch you work.”  
I stick my tongue out at him to earn a raised eyebrow and a wink that makes me a lot warmer than I have any business being this early in the morning. I wave a hand at him. “Mom will be sleeping today too, so we’ll have to be quiet. She’s probably in bed right now, though I doubt she’s sleeping. I’ll be right back.”  
“All right, my dear.”  
I tiptoe into my mom’s room only to find her still on her iPad. She must have gotten home two hours ago, at least. “What are you doing?” I ask her, hands on my hips.  
“Nothing,” she replies, flipping over he iPad in a weak attempt to hide her game. My mom was as addicted to gaming in all forms as her three kids, no bones about it.  
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping, young lady?”   
“Yes, Mom,” she replies. “But only for a few hours. I don’t have work tonight.”  
“All right. I’ll wake you at three?”  
“Sounds good.”  
“By the way, apparently, Anna’s on her way here and Erik wants to come over.”  
“Wait, both of them?”  
“Erik is asking, and Anna isn’t giving me a choice,” I say.  
Mom sighs. “Anna is fine. But I don’t know about Erik.”  
“What kind of trouble could we get up to with Anna here and you sleeping? Besides, Anna wants to work on our English projects. Erik said he wants to hang out and help us with things.” Not entirely true, but if he’s sticking around, I’ll end up asking him for help at some point.  
“All right. No funny stuff,” she tells me.  
“Duh. We’ve only been dating for a week, Mom. No funny business at all. Now go to sleep.”  
“One more round,” she replies, flipping over her tablet.  
“Fine. Good night.” I close the door on her, smiling despite my exasperation. Stubbornness runs in the family.  
I come back into my room to find Erik holding one of my stuffed bunnies. He looks really cute, and I smile, walking over to him and petting the bunny’s head. “I see you’ve found April.”  
“Is that who I have here?” he asks.  
“Mm-hmm. She was a gift from my dad when I was, like, nine? I think? She’s one of my favorites and hers is one of the very few whose names I can remember.”  
“Why stuffed rabbits?” he asks, and I smile.  
“My birthday is close to Easter, so I get these guys a lot. I’ve gotten one every year since I was four or five.” I pick up a really big, old, rough-looking one. “This guy’s my first bunny ever. His name is Hoppy. He got me through some really bad stuff when I was little.”  
“I owe him my thanks, then,” Erik says, smiling at the old toy.   
“He’s bittersweet.” Whenever I hold this particular bunny, all I can think of is the day my mom left my dad. My brother and I didn’t bring much with us, but I couldn’t let this bunny go. “Anyway, setting aside my strange stuffed rabbit collection, Mom’s okay with you coming over today.”  
Erik smiles, pulling me into his arms. “Excellent.” My face goes red, and he laughs. “You’re so cute when you blush.”  
“Erik!” I whine.  
“I can’t help it, my beautiful princess. I only speak the truth after all.” There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he says, “I wish only to kiss your red cheeks and those soft, sweet lips until you cannot breathe.”  
I make a soft whining noise, burying my face in his chest. “You bully.”  
He laughs. “Am I a bully for wishing to shower you in never-ending affections?”  
“No, you’re a bully for being a dummy-head.”  
“Dummy-head?” I know he’s having fun now. I kind of am too, actually. Erik’s words, while incredibly embarrassing, were also really nice to hear. Not that I’d tell him that. That is something I’ll pocket for later when I need it. “Is that a fact?” He leans into me, nibbling my ear.  
“Erik.” My voice is a whisper as he kisses my neck once, twice, three times. “Stop it.”  
He pulls away immediately, looking concerned. “I’m sorry, princess.”  
“Don’t be,” I reply. “I didn’t really mean it. It’s nice. Really nice. I’m just not used to all these feelings you keep giving me.”  
Relief pours out of him, and he smiles. “I can slow down, princess. Whatever you need from me, I will give. I promise.”  
My head is so full from his words, the feelings he’s pouring into me. I want nothing more than to feel his love at every moment, but I’ll have to ease into it. I’m so afraid that my poor, broken heart won’t be able to take it. I’m so worried that, someday, he’ll realize just how…unworthy of him I am and he’ll let me go. And then where would all his affections leave me?  
“Thank you, Erik.” I smile, taking his hands in mine. “I—“ My phone goes off, making me jump. “That’s probably Anna.” Before I can reach for my phone, Erik lifts both of my hands to his lips, kissing a knuckle on each before letting them go.  
Feeling shy, I step back, unable to stop myself from smiling. “Um, yeah. Anna. She’s in the driveway. I should get dressed.”  
“I’ll leave you be,” Erik says. “Unless you need help?” He raises an eyebrow, and I know for a fact my face is red as a cherry. “I jest!” he says, laughing. “I’m sorry, princess.”  
“Leave.” I push him out the door, taking his hand and squeezing it before shutting it behind him. I put some clothes on and head out into the living room where Erik is waiting with Anna.  
“I hope you don’t mind, princess, but I let her in.”  
“Not at all,” I reply.  
“Dare I ask what he’s doing here?” Anna asks me, nodding at Erik.  
“He was invited,” I say, “unlike you who showed up unannounced as per usual.” I stick my tongue out at her, and she does the same.  
“Whatever. As long as he doesn’t get in the way.”  
“I’m hurt, Miss Anna,” Erik replies. “I shall do my best to help in any way possible.”  
“All right,” she says. “I’m gonna start setting up.”  
“I’ll get my laptop,” I reply, heading back to my room. When I come back, Anna’s pulling craft supplies out of her bag. I set up my computer, Erik coming over to where I’m standing.  
“So, what will you two be doing?” he asks.  
“Anna’s doing a papier-mâché mask, and I’m going to compose some music.”  
“Are you really?” His eyes light up, and a smile glides across his face.  
“Don’t get too excited, Erik. I’ve never done this before, and I know nothing about music theory. I’m just going to fiddle around with something until it works.”   
“I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Erik says.  
“Hey, catch!” I look up in time to see Anna toss me a small tub of something. I barely manage to catch it, turning it over in my hands and freezing.  
I stare blankly at the tub of Vaseline, my body growing heavy.   
Come on, Raina. Go ahead.  
No, Dad. Leave me alone.  
Raina.  
No!   
Scene after scene races through my head, and I feel myself growing smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and—  
“Raina?” The tub falls from my hands at the sound of Erik’s voice. “Raina?”  
“S-sorry,” I stutter. “I…um…I’ll be right back.” Without looking around me, I race to the bathroom, turning on the hot water full blast. I hold my hands under it, staring at them as the water gets hotter. My hands start growing red, but all I can think of is erasing the memories, erasing the feel of the tub of Vaseline in my hands, erasing….  
“Princess!” Erik grabs my hands from under the water, turning it off. “What are you doing?!” I look up, not really registering what I’m seeing. “Your poor hands,” he whispers, holding them gently  
Looking down at my hands, they start to hurt. They’re bright red and hot. “What did I do?” I mumble.  
“Princess, what happened?”  
“I’m sorry. It was just…so many things flashed before me, so many bad memories. I didn’t think…I mean…I can’t touch that thing again.” I put my hands on either side of my head, wishing I could forget that voice, those thoughts, the pain.  
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s all right.” Erik takes my hands off of my head, holding my face in his hands. “I’m here, my princess. I’ve got you.” He pulls me close, and I breathe him in for a few moments before stepping away.  
“I’m okay. Really. I guess it’s important to learn my triggers anyhow.” I smile, shrugging.  
Erik laughs. “Leave it to my beautiful, beautiful princess to find the good in anything.” He kisses my nose, nuzzling me gently. He goes to step away, but my hands are fisted in his shirt.   
“Ah, s-sorry.” I release him, letting out a shaky sigh. “I’m fine.” I clap my hands together. “Back to work.”   
Erik and I go back out into the living room where Anna has set up a work station on the kitchen table. There are paper towels everywhere, and her plastic mask template is set up in the middle. There’s a bunch of paper with scissors set on top. She’s currently smearing the Vaseline on the plastic so that she can get the actual mask off the template once it dries.   
“Everything all right?” she asks. “You kind of looked like your brain melted.”  
“It did,” I reply. “Just bad flashbacks. I didn’t think that kind of stuff ever actually happened.”  
“I mean, there’s a reason it’s in movies and books right?”  
“I guess so. Anyway, I’m fine.”  
“Then get cracking.”  
I stick my tongue out at her as I sit down across from her, grabbing some paper. “I’ll help you cut this up.”  
“Sounds good.” She makes her phone play music as Erik sits down beside me. I hand him scissors and paper, and we get to work, cutting strips so that Anna can put them together. As one of my favorite songs comes on, Anna laughs.  
“What?” I ask.  
“You should see the face you’re making.”  
“I can’t help it, I reply. I love Rob Thomas.” I knew I’d been spacing out, just listening to him sing instead of doing work.  
“Soundgasm much?”  
I laugh as Erik makes a sputtering noise. “A what?” he asks.  
“Ah.” My face goes red. “It’s, um….”  
“It’s an orgasm for your ears,” Anna says.  
“Y-yeah.” I shrug, trying to play it off as not awkward to talk to my boyfriend about enjoying someone else’s voice to the point of finding it almost arousing. “I just really like this guy’s voice.”  
“I see. Well, he does have a rather pleasing sound,” Erik replies.  
“Yeah, I like him too, but not as much as Raina does.” Anna keeps going as the Rob Thomas song ends, and I die of embarrassment.  
A Queen song comes on, and I find my little revenge. “And here’s Anna’s soundgasm trigger.”  
She looks up at me, eyes narrowed as she sings, “’Each morning I get up, I die a little’.” I join her and we belt out “Somebody to Love” with over-the-top gusto, much to Erik’s amusement. When the song ends, we’re laughing, and Erik is smiling hugely.  
With all the paper on the mask, we have only to wait until it dries, so I start to work on my part of our project. Erik helps me out along the way, and after a few hours, we have most of a presentable piece of music.   
Anna goes home before dinner, and Erik and I go back to my room where we read more “Pride and Prejudice”. I can tell he’s really enjoying it, which makes me happy. It’s late when Erik and I part ways so we can sleep. He bids me goodnight with a kiss, and I reluctantly let him go.

I wake up with a sick feeling in my stomach. Something’s wrong. Leaping out of bed, I look around my room. Nothing out of the ordinary here. I tiptoe out into the hall, following the uneasiness to the door at the top of the basement stairs. Whatever’s going on, it’s definitely down there where the boys are.  
Slowly, I creep down the stairs, hearing a woman’s voice. “Whoever marries me gets to be the king of the demon world.”  
“Is that so?” That was Erik’s voice. Hiding on the last step, I see Erik talking to…Diana. And he’s smiling at her, his voice disgustingly flirty. What is going on?  
“Indeed. I am promised to the incubus who will take the Demon Lord’s throne. Think about it. You could be king, and you’d have a bride with whom you could carry on your lineage. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect deal?” It kind of does, I hate to admit. Is that what Erik wants, though?   
“Actually, that doesn’t sound appealing at all.” I stare at Erik, my heart leaping at his words and the instant disappearance of the flirting tone.  
“What?” Diana stares at him in shock, before she starts to glow purple, her voice sounding…well, demonic. “You dare deny—“  
Erik’s voice matches hers as he glows red. “Do not raise a tone to me. I am not as submissive as my training defines.”  
“You do not scare me,” she says. “I could make you beg to come back with me on your knees.”  
“Such a cute bluff, but if you could, you would have by now. You don’t have the power for it.” Diana grunts, not confirming or denying his words. “Besides, even if you did enthrall me, I would never be yours. I belong to Raina.”  
“Ha! That human girl? You’re an incubus; there’s no way she could possibly give you what you need.”  
I think that’s my cue.  
“Get. Out.” I step into the room to the surprised looks of both Erik and Diana.  
“Well, well, little human. You’re awfully nosy in business that does not concern you.”  
“It DOES concern me. As if it wasn’t enough that I already told you not to come back after earlier today, now you’re here, yet again trying to force him to be someone he doesn’t want to be. That’s not going to happen.”  
Diana sighs. “I already know that.”  
I blink in surprise. “You do?”  
“Yes. I wanted to give him one last chance to come of his own accord. Now, I’m here to strike a deal with you.”  
“What makes you think I would ever do something like that?” I say, crossing my arms as Erik moves over to stand beside me.  
“Because, if you do, I will agree to leave here and I won’t bother you or your loverboy again.”  
I frown. “I’m interested.”  
“Princess,” Erik takes my hand, and I look up at him. “Don’t listen to her. It doesn’t do to make deals with demons.”  
“On the contrary,” Diana replies. “If anything, making a deal with a demon is one of the safest things you can do. We are better than most at keeping our word.”  
I sigh. “I’m all ears. It doesn’t hurt to listen.”  
Diana smiles wryly. “You are a bold one, little human. If nothing else, you’ve earned my respect.” She claps her hands together. “I propose a test.”  
“A test?”  
“You claim to care deeply for him, is that correct?” She gestures almost disdainfully to Erik who pulls me closer to his side.  
“Yes,” I state, flatly.   
She rolls her eyes at my immediate response. “If you can pass the test I set for you to prove that you care enough for him to claim him as your own, then I will leave and not return. However, if you cannot pass my test, I will stay and continue to make your lives miserable until you agree to come back with me.”  
“What kind of test?” Erik asks.  
“A vision quest of my own terms. Even if she fails, it won’t hurt her. Demon’s honor.”  
“I’m in,” I say. “Vision quest” sounds pretty self-explanatory, so I hope I’m not wrong in my assumption.  
“Princess, are you sure?” Erik takes my hands in his. “This won’t be easy, and when you’re in the vision world she creates, I can’t help you. Besides, you don’t need to prove yourself to me.”  
“I know,” I say, kissing each of his hands and earning a blush blooming across his wonderful face. “But I apparently need to prove it to Diana. I would do anything to give you and your brothers freedom from your old lives, and if this is the only way, then I’ll do it.  
“Raina.” Erik looks at me with wide eyes before nodding. “Do what you think you must, my princess. I’ll be waiting for you when you return.”  
I kiss his cheek, turning to face Diana. “I’m ready when you are.”


	23. Face Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings, just FYI. I don't want to spoil anything, and there's nothing graphic; it's just implied, but it's definitely there. I hope any readers can tough it out with Raina. She'll appreciate the support!

With a snap of her fingers, Diana makes the world go black. When light returns, I find myself in a car with faceless drivers. We’re sitting in traffic, and I feel my anxiety start to creep up on me. This must be part of her test, I tell myself, but that doesn’t stop the fear from flooding over me.  
“No,” I cry. “Let me….” Out. I can’t say that. I can’t give up. If I give in to my fear, I’ll lose Erik. I won’t let that happen. I bite my tongue and dig my fingernails into the palms of my hands as hard as I can. The pain gives me something to focus on, and I take deep breaths, holding for a moment before letting them go.  
Focus. Erik.  
The car starts moving forward, and I sigh in relief. When I blink my eyes, suddenly we’re on a bridge high over water, still stuck in traffic. Diana’s not pulling any punches. Is this really going to be me going through all of my stupidest anxiety triggers? Getting angry makes it easier to deal with. I’m angry at myself for being afraid of something as stupid as crossing a bridge. No sweat. I’ve got this.  
And then the bridge breaks. Suddenly, the car is gone from around me, and I’m falling, falling, falling, landing in the water with a smack. Terror takes over me as I sink, my arms and legs turning to lead. I’m drowning!  
I open my mouth to scream, only to have it fill with water. My eyes hurt, and my chest burns as the world grows dark. This is it. Drowning…my worst fear. Or is it?  
As I close my eyes, suddenly, I can breathe again. When I open my eyes, I find myself even more terrified than before. I know this small, dark room that haunts my nightmares when I least expect it. The walls are off-white, with a stain near the bottom. That was where my dad had thrown a beer, barely missing my older brother.  
I walk down a hallway, tracing my hand over gouges in the wall…those were the times dad missed us with the belt he would spank us with. I recoil as a sound reaches my ears. It’s a child crying. I have to force my feet forward, knowing what I’ll find as I push open the door to my old room.  
On the floor lies a child, naked and sobbing. Her dark hair covers her face, but I know her still. Bile rises in my throat, tears in my eyes. There’s a creaking sound behind me, and the girl on the floor curls up, whimpering. As her hair falls away from her face, I see her lifeless blue eyes staring, unblinking at the wall.   
It’s a fear so powerful that you become numb. I…became numb. Resting against the wall is a stuffed bunny whose head has been ripped from its body. I take a step toward it, another and then another, forcing myself forward.  
I take the ruined toy in my hands, holding the head where it’s supposed to be. A light glows in the toy, and I watch in awe as the bunny becomes whole again. I didn’t remember anything else from this night, that much I knew. When little me woke the next morning, I’d found the toy whole again and thought that I’d dreamt of my own father destroying it because I’d fought against him. Is this…but no. This is just a vision.  
There’s a sound behind me, and I turn to see tears falling from the girl’s eyes, softly, to the ground. Even as the world grows dark, I know what that girl will wake up to. The sun will shine through her windows and she’ll find her clothes. She’ll get dressed just like any other day, taking her bunny with her out of the room, greeting her father and her brother with a smile. This wasn’t the day that broke Raina Steiner.  
And I won’t let it break me now.  
Suddenly, I’m in a room I’ve thankfully never seen before. In front of me are four white doors in a white wall. I’ve read and watched enough to know what to do here. I walk up to the first door that has a small plaque on it. The plaque reads “K”. Taking a deep breath, I push it open.  
A sudden, sickening smell reaches my nose. I’m in the Demon Lord’s throne room, but it looks different from when I saw it last. There are corpses strewn here and there, making the whole area reek of blood and rotting flesh. I suppress a scream, fear and revulsion wracking my body. I hear a familiar voice that makes me look to the throne.  
Erik is standing next to Diana who occupies the seat. Standing before them are Erik’s brothers, all in demon form and looking tired. Some of them have blood covering their skin. What is going on?  
“We don’t want to hurt you,” James says.  
“Hurt him?” Diana laughs. “You come here, murdering our guards, trying to destroy our army, and you expect us to believe that?”   
“We don’t give a shit what you believe, you bitch!” Sam shouts. “We want our brother back, and we want you out of this castle.”  
She smirks. “Cute. Honey, do you hear that?”  
My heart absolutely breaks at the look on his face. He looks like he’s been beaten repeatedly, and he won’t meet his brothers’ eyes, instead focusing on a spot on the wall behind them. “Yes, my dear.” He sounds as dead as he looks.  
“Erik!” Damien cries. “Please. Come back with us.”  
“Leave!” Diana screams, getting to her feet. Erik shrinks back, cowering behind the throne as the succubus attacks his brothers.  
“No!” My voice brings me back to the white room, and I find myself trembling as I face three doors. “It’s not real,” I whisper. I won’t let that happen. Ever.  
With a deep breath, I force myself to walk up to the next door. This one has the letter “M” on it. “Here goes.” Pushing the door open, I find myself in a massive entryway with five familiar demons lying on the floor, covered in blood. Eyes wide in horror, someone beats me to saying anything.  
“Who are you guys?!” I spin on the spot to see…Mika Anderson? I stare in shock as she yells things at the incubi and then they eventually get to their feet, Sam forcing a kiss on her. She hits him more than once and then the boys explain to her their situation. It’s when Erik kisses her that my brain goes blank.  
What am I seeing? Are these alternate futures?   
Time moves forward, and Diana threatens Mika’s life. Erik defends her. She tells him she loves him, and Diana leaves. Time moves forward again, and they’re making a life for themselves, happy and unaware of all that I’ve seen.  
“Let me out.” And I’m back in the room with the doors. Only two left. My heart is pounding in my chest. I don’t want to remember how happy Erik looked with another woman, but I can’t get the image of him kissing her out of my head.  
I rest my hand on the door with the letter “T” on the plaque, pushing it open roughly and falling into the strangest sight. I’m standing in a huge house, watching…me. I’m with Erik who pulls me in for a kiss that makes vision-me melt in his arms. He takes vision-me by the hand and leads me into a room where we dance and dance.  
I watch as the two talk and laugh, clearly so in love with each other that it hurts me. Is this my future with Erik? If I make it through this stupid test, will this be what I have? It’s too much to even hope for.  
The girl standing with Erik looks like she’s never been hurt before, like the world could do nothing to ever make her feel small or unwanted. That can’t be me. Can it? I want it so badly, the love and the confidence in the person I love, knowing I’ll always be cared for and cherished.  
There’s a sharp cracking sound, and the world before me vanishes, leaving me in the stark white room. Only one door lies before me. I walk up to it, looking for a plaque, but there isn’t one. It’s just…blank. Uneasiness settles in my stomach, and I look to where the last door had been. I want to go back, to watch vision-me and Erik be happy again.  
Actually, I want to get back to my world so I can work toward that happiness. Whatever is beyond this last door, I won’t let it keep me from going home. I WILL finish this. With that thought in mind, I ram the door open and step into darkness.  
It’s another room with a door at the other end. I walk through it, pushing the other door open more carefully this time. On the other side I see myself once again, although I don’t look nearly as happy as before. I watch this new me jump at the sound of a door opening, but a man I somehow know is her husband comes in taking her hands in his. She smiles, but it doesn’t have nearly as much joy as with Erik.  
They exchange words that I can’t understand, and she laughs, but it’s like a ghostly echo of the other girl’s laugh. A few more people come into the room, friends of vision-me. There’s more talking, but all I can hear are mumbles, syllables, no actual words. What is going on?  
That’s when I notice something strange: none of the people in this room have real faces. All I can see are blurs. I choke back a sudden sob as I realize exactly what this means. Ever since I was little, I’d been incapable of remembering people’s faces when they weren’t in the room. I could remember faces I’d seen in photos, but only for a little while. Somehow, this version of me can’t remember anyone’s face at all.  
Is this my fate if I’m not with Erik? Am I doomed to forget the faces of the people I care for most? This can’t happen. It can’t.   
“Let me out,” I say, expecting to be sent back to that room again. Nothing happens. “Please, let me out.” Still, nothing. “This isn’t funny.” The vision people are still talking, still laughing their half-laughs, making their mumbling sounds. Nothing has changed despite my words.  
“Please!” I shout to no one. What if I’m stuck here? a tiny voice asks. No. No, I can’t be stuck here. I don’t even know if I’ve passed yet. This isn’t right. Let me out! I charge forward, running straight through the vision people. I stumble and fall to the ground, crying out in pain.  
“Why?” I stare at the ground beneath me, my body trembling in fear. I don’t want this. I want to see all of the faces of the people I love. If I can’t remember them for even a moment…it’s like being alone. And really, that’s my biggest fear, being all alone.  
The mumbling behind me roars in my ears, making me wince, covering them with my hands. “No, no, no!” I shout, but my words sound garbled, much like the voices behind me. Slowly but surely, I’m losing myself. I’m scared. I’m going to be stuck here, alone, forever.  
“I never even told Erik I love him,” I whisper as all the air gets sucked from my lungs.  
…  
My legs give out, and I gasp for air, tears suddenly falling down my face. What happened? Where am I? There’s carpet beneath my fingers, and…I know those shoes in front of me. I look up into Diana’s impassive red eyes, squeaking in terror.  
“Princess!” Erik. It’s Erik. He grabs hold of my shoulders, his beautiful purple eyes looking into mine. “Are you okay?”  
“Erik.” I reach out, touching his face. “It’s really you.”  
“Yes, my princess. It’s me.”  
“Erik!” I bury my face in his chest, sobbing so hard I can barely breathe. “I love you. I’ve loved you since before we were dating, but I was so afraid to tell you because I was worried you wouldn’t love me back, and I was scared of how strongly I loved you. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”  
“Princess!” Erik holds me tightly, pressing his face into my hair. His magic weaves its way around me, and I find that my sobbing is subsiding. I manage a gasping breath, pulling away to look at him. His hands cup my face, and he says, “I love you too, my princess.” My eyes widen in surprise, and he laughs weakly. “How could I not?”  
I throw my arms around him, weeping from joy as much as anything else. That’s when I notice something moving and look up. Diana is looking at us with a strange expression. I push away from Erik a little, and he turns to look at Diana as well, helping me to my feet. I have to lean on him for support.  
“Well done, I suppose,” she says. “You passed, and so I’ll leave. Vale.” She snaps her fingers, and just like that, she sinks into the purple pentagram at her feet with a sad look on her face.  
I’m too shocked to even say goodbye. There’s a moment of silence before I say, “Is it really over?”  
“I think it is,” Erik replies.  
“Oh, geez,” I whisper as new tears spring to my eyes. “That was the worst thing I’ve ever been through.”  
“I’m sorry, princess. I wish I could have protected you.”  
“It’s okay,” I say. “I made it through, and I learned a few things about myself too.” I smile tentatively at him. “Do you really…love me?”  
Erik kisses my forehead, running a hand through my hair. “I love you more than life itself, my beautiful princess. Your kindness, your bravery, and your generosity make me want to stay by your side forever and beyond.”  
I nod. “Erik, I’m scared. I’ve never felt this strongly about anyone before. It’s been taking over my every thought, but…it’s not a bad thing. Just…overwhelming.” I touch his face, and he smiles so gently that it fills my heart to the brim. “Loving you is terrifying, but I promise I’ll be brave.”  
The intensity in his eyes makes me tremble as he says, “I know you will. My brave princess.” He kisses me so gently that I almost can’t take it.   
“I love you, Erik.”  
“I love you too, princess.”  
…

 

I wake up in the middle of the night and tiptoe downstairs, standing on the back porch and looking up at the night sky. “Diana!” I call. No response, but I didn’t expect one. “Ezaeur.”  
There’s a flash of purple, and then she’s standing before me, looking cross. “Human. How do you know my name?”  
“Flashback,” I say.  
She sighs, accepting this. “What do you want from me.”  
“To apologize.”  
Stunned, she nods. “I’m listening.”  
“I’m sure you knew from the start that there was nothing I could do to make the boys either stay or go. In the end, it was all their choice. Still, that doesn’t make up for the time you’ve lost, time you could have spent protecting the people you love that you’ve left behind.”  
“How do you know that?”  
“The boys think you just want their kingdom or war, but the pieces didn’t line up with what they’d been telling me and what I’ve seen from you. Those tears you were crying the first day weren’t just out of frustration.”  
She laughs. “Seen through by a mere human.”  
“I have a name,” I say.  
With a raised eyebrow, she laughs. “Raina, right?”  
I grin. “And Diana. I’m sorry for the pain the boys and I have caused you.”  
She shakes her head. “I accept your apology and offer my thanks for what you did for me yesterday. You are foolishly selfless. It will get you hurt one day.”  
“You say that like it hasn’t already.”  
She smirks, shaking her head. “Well, I have a feeling you didn’t just call me here because you wanted to apologize.”  
“No. I wanted to offer you something.”  
She laughed. “What could you offer me, dearie?”  
“Energy. I want you to take as much of my energy as you need so you can get home and be strong enough to handle whatever’s going to come.”  
“Do you understand what you’re offering?”  
“I do. I want you to leave me with enough to get back upstairs and in bed.” I extend my hand to her.  
She eyes it for a long moment, a strange twinkle in her eyes. “All right.” She takes my hand, pulling me into a hug that makes me squeak in surprise. I feel my energy drain quickly, pulling everything I have out of me and leaving me absolutely exhausted. She breaks the embrace, smiling at me.  
“Thank you, dear. You don’t know how much you’ve done for me.”  
“Good luck,” I mumble to her, watching as she makes a portal and disappears. Slowly, I make my way back inside. I guess she listened to me perfectly about the amount of energy she left me, and it clearly didn’t involve my saying anything to her. I open the door of my room and stumble only to be caught by a pair of arms.  
I look up into Erik’s smiling face. “Whatever will I do with you, my love?” He kisses my forehead as I black out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it for this arc! I hope anyone who stuck around this long enjoyed it! I'll probably keep going with this, but if I do, it'll most likely be as another story with a different name that states it's the sequel to this one. Thanks so much for getting this far! Hope to write for you again soon!


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